
Book-JI^ % 5$' 



OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 



GRANT, SHERMAN, 



THOMAS, SHERIDAN, 



4I^D 



ft 



FARRAGUT. 



,. / BY 

L. P. BROCKETT, A.M., 

A-athor of a " History of the Great Eebellion," && 




NEW YORK: 
CHARLES B. RICHARDSON, 

540 BROADWAY. 

1866. 






L'r/tPred according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S65. 

By CHARLES ."^ ^.ICHARDSON, 

In tbe Clerk's Office of the Dibtrict Court of the United States f(,.- U 
Soutliorn District of New York. 



PRRFACE. 



The biographies of living men who have achieved 
distinction, are always so attractive to the public, that 
we deem no apology necessary for presenting in a 
single portable volume, sketches of the lives of those 
who are pre-eminently our Great Captains. There 
have been, we are aware, four or five previous at- 
teirpts to give publicity to the life and services of 
Lieutenant-Gen eral Grant ; but while the greater 
part have dealt largely in fiction, none have at- 
tempted, as we have done, to give the later incidents 
of a military career now rounding into completeness, 
by the suppression, through his skilful and persistent 
strategy, of the Great Rebellion. The incidents of 
General Sherman's life have also been once or twice 
related, but with a want of appreciation of his pe- 
culiar and transcendent genius, which leaves much to 
be desired, and whicli we have endeavored to sup 
ply. 'No carefully prepared biographical sketch of 
Thomas, Sheridan, or Farragut has, we believe, been 
liitherto attempted. 

In essaying thus to bring before our own country- 
men, and the people of other lands, authentic narra- 



6 PREFACE. 

tives of the military career of these men, who have 
displayed abilities fully equal to those of the great 
captains of other lands in the past hundred years, 
we have been prompted by no vain-glorious desire 
to extol unduly our own military chieftains, or to 
bestow upon mediocrity the laurels due to extraor- 
dinary merit, but have made it our sole object to 
present the men as they were, and put on record, for 
our own and other times, the deeds for which they 
deserve the honor, admiration, and esteem of the 
loyal citizens of the Republic. 

The bearing, influence, and effect of some of the 
great battles we have described, upon the struggle 
in which we are engaged, are not generally under- 
stood. We have tried to make these plain; and to 
show that through all the movements of our armies, 
the shock of battles, and the desperate conflicts for 
particular points, there has been a plan and purpose 
which has made them, not, as some of our un 
friendly critics across the ocean have so often 
charged, mere collisions of brute force, without 
special aim or object, but portions of comprehensive 
strategy, having for its objects the overthrow of the 
Rebellion, and the re-establishment, at no distant 
date, of the authority of the Republic in every por- 
tion of our territory. 



CONTENTS 



IjI^ittenant-Generai. Ulysses Simpson Grant 9 

Major-General William Tecu:mseh Sherman 87 

Majoe-General George H. Thomas 163 

Major-General Philip Henry Sheridan i87 

VicE-ADMniAL David Glascoe Farragut 227 



OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 



I. 

Lieutenant-General Ulysses Simpson Grant. 

Although war has been, during the whole historic 
period, so large a part of the business of the world, 
yet the number of great captains, commanders pos- 
sessing the highest military genius, has been compar- 
atively small. The " art of war" is not a science to be 
acquired simply by study ; its conditions are ever chang- 
ing, and tactics which are successful in one age may be 
ill adapted for another ; a strategy which may be ad- 
mirable in one country, may be utterly inadmissible in 
another ; and movements which, in a country of wide 
plains, good roads, and few rivers, may be performed 
with celerity and certainty, may prove entirely impos- 
sible in a mountainous, heavily-wooded country, with 
swamps, thickets, miry streams, and wretched roads. 

We must, then, in judging of the military abilities of a 
commander, take into account the age in which he lives, 
the people whom he commands, the enemy with which 
he has to contend, and the countiy he must traverse. 
We must look also to the quality of his mental action. 
If he possesses clear perceptions, foreseeing readily the 
measures of his antagonist ; if he is fertile in resource, 
remedying difficulties, overcoming seeming impossibi- 
lities, and accomplisiiing his purposes in the face of the 
greatest obstacles ; if he has the power, not only to plan 



10 OFR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

combined operations, but to so control their details as 
that they shall not fail ; if, above all, he possesses tact, 
and a control over his troops which enables him to 
wield them at his will to execute his purposes, — then 
he is entitled to a place among the world's great com- 
manders. It was in these qualities that Alexander, Han- 
nibal, Caesar, and, in more modern times, Turenne, Marl- 
borough, Frederick the Great, Wellington, and Napoleon 
surpassed the other generals of their time. But few as 
have been these illustrious names in the past, we hope 
to demonstrate that we have not simply one^ but several 
great captains. Among these, none is more deserving of 
that title of honor than the general-in-chief of our armies. 
It is now somewhere near one hundred years ago that 
two young Scotchmen of the name of Gi-ant left their 
own land of the heather for the New World across the 
Atlantic. Though brothers, they did not choose the 
same location, one making his home in Canada, the 
other in Pennsylvania. The latter took up arms in 
defence of his adopted country, and after the peace 
settled upon a farm in Westmoreland county, Penn. 
Here- in 179-t, his son, Jesse R. Grant, father of the 
lieutenant-general, was born. In 1799, the attraction 
of new lands in the northwestern territory drew the 
sturdy Scotch farmer across the Ohio. For four or five 
years we lose sight of him and his family, the forests of 
Eastern Ohio being the favorite haunts of the Indian 
tribes, who reluctantly, and often only by compulsion, 
relinquished them to the inroUing tide of emigrants. In 
1804, however, he had become one of the early settlers 
of the town of Deerfield, on the Western Reserve, and 
now in Portage county. In 1805 Mr. Grant died, leav- 
ing his son Jesse an orphan at the age of eleven years. 
Not long after, the boy was apprenticed to the tanning 



GENERAL GRaNT, 11 

business, and when the barbarous alliance between the 
British and the Indians, in the war of 1812, had made 
the northern counties of Ohio an unsafe region for women 
and children, he removed with his mother and family to 
Maysville, Kentucky. In 1815 he returned to Portage 
county, and established himself at Ravenna as a tanner. 
The prevalence of ague and fever in Ravenna drove 
young Grant thence in 1820, and when after a few 
months he returned to Ohio, it was to establish himself 
in the southern part, near the banks of the beautiful 
river. Here, in June, 1821, he married Hannah Simp- 
son, the daughter of an emigrant from Pennsylvania, 
and, like himself, a native of that State. The home of 
the young couple was at Point Pleasant, on the Ohio 
river, in Clermont county, but a few miles from the 
city of Cincinnati. Here, on the 27th of April, 1822, 
was born their eldest son, the hero of our story. The 
humble cottage which was his birthplace still stands, a 
frame building one story in height ; and from its win- 
dows there is a pleasant view of the Ohio, and of the 
gently sloping Kentuckian farms on its further bank. 

The name of the boy, bestowed at the instance of his 
maternal grandparents, was Hiram Ulysses, and so it 
remained until the time of his admission to the Mili- 
tary Academy at West Point, when, by the oversight 
of the member of Congress who appointed him a cadet, 
he was entered as Ulysses S. Grant ; and after attempting 
in vain to have his baptismal name substituted, he sub- 
mitted, and made his signature conform to that which 
had thus been imposed upon him. As his mother's 
maiden name was Simpson, the middle initial came to 
be regarded as standing for Simpson. 

The tanner's son proved to be a sturdy little urchin, 
entirely devoid of fear ; not precocious, but persevering, 



12 OUii GKEAT CAPTAINS. 

and with a Scotch pertinacity ot will in the achievement 
of any object on which he had set his heart, while at the 
same time he possessed an imperturbable good-humor 
whicli rendered him a general favorite. 

There have been in Lieutenant-General Grant's case, 
as in that of most men who have attained high position, 
numerous stories of his boyhood and youth, which had 
their origin only in the imagination of the writers who 
have given them to the public. To repeat these would 
be an insult to the illustrious name we commemorate, 
but there are a few incidents which have been preserved 
by his father, which, as illustrating the traits of character 
which he has since developed, are worthy of record. 

Mr. Grant relates that when Ulysses was but two 
years old, he took him in his arms and carried him 
through the village on some public occasion, and a 
young man wished to try the effect of the report of 
a pistol on him. Mr. Grant consented, though, as he 
said, " the child had never seen a gun or pistol in his 
life." The hand of the baby was accordingly put on the 
lock and pressed there quietly, until the pistol was dis- 
charged with a loud report. The little fellow exhibited 
no alarm, neither winking nor dodging, but presently 
pushed the pistol away, saying, " Fick it again I Fich 
it again l''^ 

The story of his being unable to understand the mean- 
ing of the word caaH has been too often told to need 
repetition. It need hardly be said that he has riCyer yet 
succeeded in ascertaining its meaning in any thing which 
he has undertaken to do. 

A still more characteristic incident is related of him 
by his father. When Ulysses was twelve years of age, 
his father wanted several sticks of hewn timber from the 
forest, and sent him with the team to draw them to the 



GENEKAL GRANT. 13 

villasce, tellino; him that men would be there with hand- 
spikes to help load them on to the wagon. The boy 
went with the team, but on arriving at his destination 
the men were not there, and after some little delay they 
still did not appear. He had been sent for the timber, 
however, and he had no intention of going home with- 
out it. Looking about, he observed at a little distance 
a tree which had fallen over, and was leaning against 
another, its trunk forming an inclined plane. This, he 
reasoned, would enable him to get the timber into his 
wagon ; accordingly he took out liis horses, and hitching 
them to the logs, drew them up to tlie foot of the fallen 
tree, and, backing his wagon to the side of the inclined 
plane, he pushed and drew the timber, piece after piece, 
up the inclined plane, and shoved it into the wagon, and 
with his load secured, drove home triumphantly. The 
incident exhibits very forcibly the energy, pertinacity, 
and fertility of resource which have characterized the 
man in all his subsequent career. 

In school the boy was faithful, diligent, and pains- 
taking; not a genius, who acquired knowledge without 
study, but a boy who appreciated the value of an educa- 
tion, and wlio was not to be disheartened in his efforts 
to obtain one. However difficult his lessons might be, 
and however severe the study required to master them, 
he never gave up to discouragement, but if one method 
or resource failed, was always ready to try another. 
But the advantages of school training were limited by 
the want of good schools in the village, the small por- 
tion of the year (only three months) in which he could 
attend, and the straitened circumstances of his father, 
which did not permit him to send his son abroad for an 
education. The education, however, young Grant de- 
termined to have, and his father was also very desirous 



14 OHE GEEAT CAPTAINS. 

that he should obtain it. He had reached the age of 
seventeen, when it was decided that the effort should be 
made to secure an appointment as cadet at West Point. 
Application was first made to Hon. Thomas Morris, then 
U. S. Senator from Ohio, but Mr. Morris had already 
pledged himself to another applicant, and so informed 
Mr. Grant, but at the same time notified him of a va- 
cancy in the gift of Hon. Thomas L. Hamer, the member l/t'^^Q 
of Congress from Grant's own district, the young man 
whom he had appointed having, for some cause, failed to 
enter. Mr. Grant immediately corresponded with Mr. 
Hamer, who promptly appointed Ulysses to the vacant 
cadetship. Having successfully passed his preliminary 
examination, the young cadet entered the Academy, 
July 1, 1839. 

In the Military Academy, Grant was studious, attentive 
to all his duties, and though he had not enjoyed the ad- 
vantages of many of his classmates in early education, 
he soon took a good position in scholarship, while his 
amiable disposition won him the friendship of all his 
classmates. The examinations at this period were very 
severe, and of Grant's class, which numbered one hun- 
dred in 1839, only thirty graduated in 1843. He stood 
'No. 21, his standing being very high in artillery and 
infantry tactics, mathematics, engineering, and horse- 
manship, and fair in the other studies. During his last 
year he was commanding officer of cadets. Major-General 
Franklin, and Generals Ingalls, Steele, and Judah, were 
among his classmates. As there was no existing va- 
cancy, he was on his graduation bi-eveted Second-lieu- 
tenant of tlie Fourth Infantry regiment, and for a time 
after joining his regiment, then at Jefferson Barracks, 
near St. Louis, was required to perform the duties of a 
private soldier. In 1844 he removed with his regiment 



GENERAL GRANT. 15 

up the Red river, in Louisiana. There began now to be 
rumors of war between Mexico and the United States, 
in consequence of the annexation of Texas, and in 1845 
General Taylor was sent to the border in command of 
an " army of occupation," and of this army young 
Grant's regiment, the Fourth Infantry, was a part. Grant 
had meantime been pi'omoted to the rank of first-lieu- 
tenant of the Seventh Infantry ; but preferring to remain 
with his old regiment, where there seemed more chance 
of seeing service, he accepted instead the second-lieu- 
tenancy, then vacant in that regiment. 

In May, 1846, Lieutenant Grant, with his regiment, 
moved forward to Palo Alto and Resaca de la Pal ma, 
and in both those battles he distinguished himself for 
gallantry and courage. In the subsequent storming of 
Monterey, he received honorable mention from his com- 
mander for his good conduct. In April, 1847, after the 
capture of Vera Cruz, in which he had participated, the 
young lieutenant was appointed quartermaster of his re- 
giment, and served in this capacity through the re- 
mainder of the campaign ; but he showed no disposition 
to avail himself of his privilege of remaining in his own 
department in time of battle. In the autumn of 1847, 
at the desperate assault of Molino del Rey, and at the 
storming of Chapultepec five days later. Lieutenant 
Grant exhibited such daring, and acted so promptly and 
fearlessly, as to receive the high commendations of his 
superior officers, and to be promoted to a first-lieutenancy 
on the spot. Among those who spoke in the highest 
terms of his gallantry, and daring on these occasions was 
Major Francis Lee, then commanding the Fourth In- 
fantry. The following is the language of his report of the 
storming of Chapultepec: 

"At the first barrier the enemy was in strong force, 



16 OUK GREAT CAPTAINS. 

which rendered it necessary to advance witli caution. 
This was done ; and when the head of the battalion was 
within short rausket-range of the barrier, Lieutenant 
Grant, Fourth Inflmtry, and Captain Brooks, Second 
Artilleiy, with a few men of their respective regi- 
ments, by a handsome movement to the left turned the 
right flank of the enemy, and the barrier was carried. 
Lieutenant Grant behaved with distinguished gallantry 
on the 13th and 14th of September." 

This, we presume, was the first of General Grs^nVsJlanJc- 
ing movements, a kind of strategy which has since proved 
so effective on more extensive fields. Colonel Garland, 
then in command of the First Brigade, added still stronger 
testimony to the military skill and admirable conduct of 
the young lieutenant on the same occasion. For tliis 
achievement he was brevetted captain, his rank to date 
from September 13, 1847. During the Mexican war 
Lieutenant Grant participated in fourteen battles. 

After the close of the war the volunteers were 
mustered out of service, and the ofiicers and soldiers 
of the regular army distributed among the forts and 
posts on the frontiers. In August, 1848, Lieutenant 
Grant married Miss Dent, a young lady residing near 
St. Louis, and soon after was ordered to Detroit, Mi- 
chigan, and after a time to the post of Sackett's 
Harbor, N. Y., where in the quiet of peace he im- 
proved his leisure by the study of military science. 
Li the autumn of 1851 the Fourth LifanUy was 
ordered to the Pacific coast to preserve order, which 
was greatly endangered by the reckless and \icious 
immigrants who flocked thither after the discovery of 
gold. The battalion which Lieutenant Grant com- 
manded was sent into Oregon, and had its headquarters 
for some time at Fort Dallas, in that territory. While 



GENERAL GRANT. 17 

on duty here, in August, 1853, Grant received his com- 
mission as captain. The times were, however, unfavor- 
able to military advancement, and the young officer, 
who had now served eleven years in the army, desirous 
of getting on, and seeing but little prospect of promo- 
tion till he would become too old to value it, resigned 
his commission on the 31st of July, 1854, and returned 
to civil life. 

His first essay seems to have been as a farmer, on a 
small farm belonging to his father-in-law, near St. Louis. 
But though industrious and pains-taking, he was not re- 
markably successful as a farmer. He was, after a time, 
appointed collector of taxes for the county ; but his 
straightforward honesty and truthfulness were no match 
for the craft and deception of the delinquent tax-payers, 
and he could not make as full collections as men of a 
sterner and more unscrupulous character would have 
done. The duties of an auctioneer, an avocation tried 
for a brief period, were no better suited to his tastes. 
He felt that none of these pursuits were such as he could 
fill, either with credit or satisfaction to himself. In 1859? 
his father, who had for many years conducted the tan- 
ning business with success, proposed to him to go into 
the leather and saddlery business, in partnership with 
him, at Galena, Illinois. He accepted the oifer, and the 
house of Grant & Son entered upon a prosperous busi- 
ness from the start. The quality of their goods was of 
the best, and their dealings were so honorable and fair 
that customers flowed in from all quarters, and the house 
soon became famous, and was rapidly attaining wealth. 
Meantime there were dark clouds lowering in the na- 
tional sky, and hoarse mutterings of a storm which was 
soon to burst upon the land. The retired captain was 
not so absorbed in his business as not to be a careful 

2* 



18 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

watcher of the coming event. When at last the ecl)o of 
the guns which were bombarding Fort Sumtoi-, on the 
12th and 13th of Apiil, 18G1, resounded over tlie land 
and gave token that tiie Rebel ieade: s had commenced war 
upon the nation, the quiet business man, without, ado or 
delay, abandoned his business and gave himself to the 
cause of his country. 'J'lie nation had educated him, 
and though he had served more than the prescribed time 
to which he was pledged in the army, lie still felt that 
in the hour of his country's peril she had a strong claim, 
upon him for further service. To raise a comjjany, and 
march with it to Springfield and tender it to the gov- 
ernor, was his first act, and was soon accomphshed. 
One of the members of Congress from Illinois wi'ote 
to Governor Yates, recommending Mr. Grant for a 
military command ; but at that time, inexperienced in 
the work of selecting officers to command his troops, 
and naturally enough supposing tliat an officer should 
be a man of imposing figure and lofty stature. Gov- 
ernor Yates looked with some curiosity upon the 
small man clad in homespun, wlio seemed so diminu- 
tive in comparison with some of the stalwart gigantic 
applicants, and gave him no appointment. 

It was nqj; long, however, before the governor found 
himself embarrassed by his want of knowledge of the 
detail necessary in the organization of troops, and, call- 
ing upon his congressional friend, he inquired if that 
little man whom he had recommended to him under- 
stood these matters. The Representative answeied by 
bringing Grant to the governor, and finding on inquiiy 
that he was perfectly conversant with tliese details, the 
governor at once made him his adjutant genei-al. In 
this position he worked indefatigably, and soon suc- 
ceeded in bringing order out of confusion. The gov- 



GENERAL GRANT. 10 

ernor was now called upon by the President to name 
two officers for promotion to the rank of brigadier- 
general, and proposed the name of his adjutant-general 
for one ; but Grant declined, as he had not earned the 
promotion. In June, the three months' troops being 
organized, Adjutant-General Grant made a flying visi 
to his father at Covington, Ky., and while there a com 
mission was sent him from Governor Yates as colonel 
of the Twenty-first Illinois Volunteers. The colonel 
originally appointed to the command of this regiment, 
one of Governor Yates's fine commanding-looking men, 
had proved utterly wanting in military capacity, and his 
regiment had fallen into disorder. The governor had 
refused to commission him, and inquired of Grant by 
telegraph if he would take the command of the turbu- 
lent regiment. He consented, and hastened to join his 
regiment at Mattoon, where it was organized, and re- 
moved it to Caseyville for encampment. The new 
colonel made no display of authority, and was not in 
the least boisterous, but by the quiet influence of ex- 
ample, and the exercise of his remarkable tact, he 
soon had the regiment under the strictest discipline, and 
in a month, from being the most turbulent and disorderly 
regiment in the State, it became the model ors^aniza- 
tion. At this time Quincy, Illinois, was thought to 
be in danger, and an application was made to the 
ofovernor for a force for its protection. It was difficult 
to find transportation, for Quincy was a hundred and 
twenty miles distant, and the railroads were unable to 
furnish a sufficient number of cars. Colonel Grant heard 
of the governor's difficulty, and sent him word, " Send 
my regiment, and I will find the transportation." The 
governor at once gave orders to send the Twenty- 
first regiment, and before night it commenced its 



20 OUR GKEAT CAPTAINS. 

march on foot, and arrived in due season in excellent 
order. 

The first service to which the Twenty-first Ilhnois was 
assigned was to guard the Hannibal and St. Joseph's 
railroad. Several regiments having been ordered to this 
service, it was necessary that one of the regimental com- 
manders should become acting brigadier-general, and 
control the whole, as no brigadier-general had been as- 
signed to the command. For this office Grant, though 
the youngest colonel on the ground, was selected, and 
took command at Mexico, Missouri, July 31, 1861. On 
the 9th of August, Colonel Grant was commissioned 
brigadier-general, and sent with an adequate force to 
Southern Missouri, where the rebel General JefiT. Thomp- 
son was threatening an advance. He visited Ironton, 
superintended the erection of fortifications there and at 
Marble creek, and, leaving a garrison in each place to 
defend it, hastened to Jefierson City, which was also 
threatened, and protected it from rebel attacks for ten 
days, when Thompson, having abandoned his purpose. 
General Grant left the Missouri capital to enter upon the 
command of the important district of Cairo. 

It was while he was in Southern Missouri, his biogra- 
phers say, that he issued his famous special order con- 
cerning Mrs. Selvidge's pie. The incident, which illus- 
trates somewhat forcibly the quiet humor which is a 
marked characteristic of the general, was something 
like this: 

In the rapid marches of his force in Southern Mis- 
souri, their rations were often scanty, and not very 
palatable, but the region was poor and sparsely set- 
tled, and, for the most part, there was no chance of 
procuring food from the inhabitants of the country 
through which they were passing. At length, how- 



GENERAL GRANT. 21 

ever, they emerged into a better and more cultivated 
section, and Lieutenant Wickham, of an Indiana cavalry 
regiment, who was in command of the advance guard of 
eight men, halted at a farm-house of somewhat more com- 
fortable appearance than any which they had passed, 
and entered the dwelling with two second-lieutenants. 
Pretending to be Brigadier-General Grant, he demanded 
food for himself and his staff. The family, whose loyalty 
was somewhat doubtful, alarmed at the idea of the Union 
general being on their premises, hastily brought forward 
the best their house afforded, at the same time loudly 
protesting their attachment to the Union cause. The 
lieutenants ate their jBll, and, offering to compensate 
their hosts, were told that there was nothing to pay ; 
whereupon they went on their way, chuckling at their 
adroitness in getting so good a dinner for nothing. Soon 
after, General Grant, who had halted his army for a short 
rest a few miles further back, came up, and being rather 
favorably impressed with the appearance of the farm- 
house, rode up to the door and asked if they would cook 
him a meal. The woman, who grudged the food al- 
ready furnished to the self-styled general and his staff, 
replied gruffly, " No ! General Grant and his staff have 
just been here, and eaten every thing in the house, ex- 
cept one pumpkin-pie." 

" Ah !" said Grant ; " what is your name ?" 

" Selvidge," answered the woman. 

Tossing her a half-dollar, the general asked, " Will 
you keep that pie till I send an officer for it ?" 

" I will," said the woman. 

The general and staff rode on, and soon a camping 
ground was selected, and the regiments were notified 
that there would be a grand parade at half-past six for 
orders. This was unusual, and neither officers nor men 



22 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

could imagine what was coming. The parade was 
formed, however, ten cohimns deep and a quarter of a 
mile in length. After the usual review, the assistant 
adjutant-general read the following: 

" Headqtjahters, Army in the Field. 

" Special Order, No. . 

" Lieutenant Wickham, of the Indiana Cavalry, 

having on this day eaten every thing in Mrs. Selvidge's 
house, at the crossing of the Ironton and Pocahontas 
and Black river and Cape Girardeau roads, except one 
pumpkin pie, Lieutenant Wickfield is hereby ordered to 
return with an escort of one hundred cavalry and eat 

that pie also. 

"U. S. GRANT, 
V Brigadier-general commanding." 

To attempt to evade this order was useless, and at 
seven o'clock the lieutenant filed out of camp with his 
hundred men, amid the cheers of the whole army. The 
escort witnessed the eating of the pie, the whole of 
which the lieutenant succeeded in devouring, and re- 
turned to camp. 

The post of Cairo, the headquarters of the district to 
the command of which General Grant was now ordered, 
was one, from its position, of great importance to the 
Union cause. It commanded both the Ohio and the 
Upper Mississippi, and was the depot of supplies for an 
extensive region above, and subsequently below. Grant's 
command extended along the shores of the Mississippi 
as far as Cape Girardeau, and on the Ohio to the mouth 
of Green river, and included Western Kentucky. That 
State at this time was trying to maintain a neutral posi- 
tion, favoring neither the Union nor the rebels, a posi- 



GENERAL GRANT. 23 

tion which was as absurd as it was soon found to be im- 
possible. The rebels were the first to cross the lines 
and take possession of tiie important towns of Columbus 
and Hickman, on the Mississippi, and Bowling Green on 
the Green river, all of which they fortified. General 
Grant was apprized of these violations of Kentucky's 
professed neutrality, and as they afforded him ample 
justification for occupying positions within the State, he 
quietly sent a body of troops on the 6th of September 
up the Ohio to Paducah, a town at the mouth of the 
Tennessee, and took possession of it at the time when 
the secessionists there were looking for the entry of the 
rebel troops wlio were marching to occupy it. The rage 
of these enemies of the country can be better imagined 
than described. Rebel flags were flaunted in the faces 
of our troops, and they were told that they should not 
long retain possession of the town. 

This did not, however, in the least disturb the equa- 
nimity of General Grant. He issued a proclamation to 
the inhabitants, informing them of his reasons for taking 
possession of the town, and that he was prepared to de- 
fend the citizens against the enemy ; and added, signifi- 
cantly, that he had nothing to do with opinions, but 
should deal only with armed rebellion, and its aiders 
and abettors. 

On the 25th of September he dispatched a force to 
Smithland, at the mouth of the Cumberland river, and 
took possession of that town also. The principal avenues 
through which the rebels had obtained supplies of food, 
clothing, arms, and ammunition, from the North, were 
thus effectually closed. 

When General Grant was assigned to the command 
at Cairo, General McClernand's brigade and some other 
troops were added to his own brigade, Having taken 



24 OTJR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

possession of Paducah and Smithland, he now began to 
turn his attention to Columbus, Ky., an important posi- 
tion, held by the rebel Major-General Polk (a former 
bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church) with a force 
of twenty thousand men. He had nearly completed his 
arrangements for attacking this post, when the Govern- 
ment ordered him to send live of his regiments to St. 
Louis ; this left him too weak to make the attack with 
any hope of success. Meantime, there had been some 
correspondence between General Polk and General 
Grant, concerning an exchange of prisoners, of which 
each side had taken a considerable numbei-. General 
Polk commenced the correspondence, proposing the ex- 
change, and referred repeatedly in his communication 
to the Confederate arifiy and the Confederate States. 
General Grant repUed that he had no authority to make 
exchanges ; that he recognized no southern confederacy 
himself, but Would communicate with higher authorities 
for their views, and, should he not be sustained, would 
find means of communicating with him. 

On the 16th of October, General Grant having learned 
that the rebel General Jetf. Thompson was approaching 
Pilot Knob, Mo., and evidently purposing an extensive 
raid through Southeastern Missouri, ordered lifteen 
hundred men, under Colonel Plummer, then stationed at 
Cape Girardeau, to move towards Fredericktown, Mo., 
by way of Jackson and Dallas, forming a junction at the 
latter place with Colonel Carlin, who had been ordered 
to move with three thousand men from another point, 
.and, pursuing Tiiompson, to defeat and rout his force. 
The expeditions were successful. Thompson was found, 
on the 21st of October, not far from Dallas, on the 
Greenville road, and, after an action of two and a half 
hours, defeated and routed with very heavy loss. Co- 



I 
GENERAL GRANT. 25 

lonel Plummer captured in this engagement forty-two 
prisoners and one twelve-pounder. 

By this expedition, General Grant ascertained the posi- 
tion and strength of Jeff. Thompson's forces, and learHed 
also that the rebels were concentrating a considerable 
force at Belmont, Missouri, nearly opposite Columbus, 
Ky., with a view to blockade the Mississippi river, and 
to move ^eedily upon his position at C^iro. Having 
received orders to that effect from his superior officers, 
General Grant resolved to break up this camp, although 
aware that the rebels could be reinforced to almost any 
extent from Columbus, Ky. 

On the evening of the 6th of November, General 
Grant embarked two brigades, in all about two thou- 
sand eight hundred and fifty men, under his own 
and General McClernand's command, on board river 
steamers, and moved down the Mississippi. He had 
previously detached small bodies of troops to threaten 
Columbus from different directions, and to deceive the 
rebels as to his intentions. The ruse was successful, and 
the force which he commanded in person reached the 
vicinity of Belmont, and landed before the enemy had 
comprehended their intention. -The Union troops, dis- 
embarking with great promptness, marched rapidly 
towards the rebel camp, a distance of about two and a 
half miles, and, forcing their way through a dense 
abatis and other obstructions, charged through the 
camp, capturing their camp equipage, artillery, and 
small-arms, and burned the tents, blankets, &g. They 
also took a large number of prisoners. The rebel force 
at the^kCamp was not far from 4,000, but General Polk, 
learning of the attack, sent over as reinforcements eight 
regiments, or somewhat more than 4,000 more troops, 
under the command of Generals Pillow and Cheatham, 

3 



26 OUK GREAT CAPTAINS. 

and finally crossed the riv^er himself and took com 
mand. General Grant having accomplished all, ;ind 
more than he expected, and being aware that Behnont 
was covered by the batteries at Columbus, ajid that 
heavy reinforcements could readily be sent from thence, 
made no attempt to hold the position, but withdrew in 
good order. On their way to their transports, the 
Union troops were confronted by the fresh rebel force 
under Polk's command, and a severe battle ensued, 
during which a considerable number of the rebel pris- 
oners made their escape ; and there were heavy losses 
in killed and wounded on both sides, the Union loss 
amounting to nearly one hundred killed, and four hun- 
dred or five hundred wounded and missing, the larger 
part of whom were prisonei's, Wliat was the exact 
rebel loss has never transpired, but it is known to have 
been larger than this, the number of prisoners alone ex- 
ceeding the total Union loss. The Union troops at 
ength succeeded in reaching their transports and re- 
embarking, under the protection of the gunboats Tyler 
and Lexington, which had conveyed them, bringing 
with them two cannon which they had captured, and 
spiking two others, which they were obliged to abandon. 
This action, which was represented in some quarters ns 
a Union defeat, proved to have been rather a Union vic- 
tory, the advantages being decidedly on the part of 
General Grant, and his men having, by the action, 
gained confidence in themselves and in their com- 
mander. 

On the 20th of December, General Halleck, who was 
then in command of th§ westei-n department, reor<v;inized 
the districts of h.is commi^nd, and erdarged tlie disti-ict 
of Cairo, including in it all the southern portion of Illi- 
nois, all of Kentucky west of the Cumberland river, 



GENERAL GEA.NT. 27 

and the southern counties of Missouri, and appointed 
General Grant commander of the new district. Large 
numbers of troops newly mustered into the service, and 
as yet untrained to miUtary duties, poured into this dis- 
trict, some for service within its limits, others intended 
to reinforce the armies in other districts. General Grant 
maintained a vigilant supervision over these, and, where- 
ever it was possible, subjected them to a thorough dis- 
cipline, organization, and training, to qualify them for 
service, and then distributed them as rapidly as pos- 
sible to the various posts within his district, or, when 
so directed, to other points. On the 10th of Janu- 
ary, 18(32, the troops under the comnumd of General 
McClernand were sent in transports, convoyed by two 
gunboats, to Fort Jeiferson, Ky., and landed there, the 
gunboats being ordered to lie off the fort. The rebels 
attacked these gunboats with three vessels the next day, 
but were beaten off after a brisk engagement, and pur- 
sued till they took refuge under the batteries of 
Columbus. 

On the 14th of January, 1862, General Grant made 
an extended reconnoissance in force, moving in three 
columns, by different routes, to explore the country east 
of Columbus, and ascertain the rebel strength and posi- 
tion, with a view to an important enterprise soon to be 
undertaken. The I'econnoissance was a severe and la- 
borious one for raw troops, on account of the weather 
and the condition of the roads, but it was in every 
respect successful. On this march, General Grant issued 
general orders, the first, it is believed, issued during the 
war, prohibiting, under the severest penalties, all private 
plundering and straggling, and directing the order of 
march. The gunboats which had been constructed 
during the autumn and winter on the Mississippi, 



28 OTJR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

above Cairo, were now completed, and General Grant 
called for volunteers from the troops to man them, as 
there was a lack of sailors to make up the complement 
for their efficient management. The number of volun- 
teers proved sufficient, and the gunboat flotilla, under 
the command of Flag-officer (afterwards Rear-Admiral) 
A. H. Foote, was soon ready for action. 

Grant kept up his feint of attacking Columbus, and 
by his movements and general orders, issued for effect, 
led the rebels to concentrate at that point most of their 
available forces, while he was preparing for a flank 
movement in a different direction, which would compel 
them to evacuate that post without his striking a blow. 
Two large divisions were secretly concentrated at Pa- 
ducah and Smithland, at the mouths of the Tennessee 
and Cumberland rivers, under the command of Generals 
C. F. Smith and Lewis Wallace ; and the other two di- 
visions under his command, which were apparently ready 
to pounce upon Columbus, were quietly withdrawn, and 
one being left to hold his base at Cairo, the other was 
transferred by night to Paducah, on the night of Feb. 
2d, and, with the troops already there, moved directly 
upon Fort Henry on the Tennessee river. The gun- 
boats wei'e also moving for the same point, and arrived 
on the morning of February 6th, in advance of the 
troops, who were delayed by the condition of the roads. 
Grant was hastening forward as rapidly as possible, and 
was prepared to cut off the retreat of the garrison. Flag- 
officer Foote, having ascertained that the rebels were 
expecting reinforcements, resolved to attack the fort 
without waiting for the land forces to come up. He did 
so; and, after an engagement of an hour and a quarter, 
the garrison surrendered the fort, the rebel forces out- 
side having made their escape to Fort Donelson. 



GENERAL GRANT. 29 

General Grant carae up within an hour, and the fort 
and its contents was handed over to him. The disposi- 
tions he had made would have insured its capture the 
same day, had Flag-officer Foote not anticipated the 
time of attack. 

The capture of Fort Henry, however, was but one 
item in the programme which General Grant had 
marked out for accomplishment. Fort Donelson, a 
much larger and stronger work, and defended by a 
garrison of more than twenty thousand men, and lying 
nearly east of Fort Henry, still obstructed the passage 
of the Cumberland, and forbade the advance of the 
Union forces southward. To possess himself of this im- 
portant fortress was the design of Gene?'al Grant, and 
ordering up all the available forces of his district to join 
him on the strip of land lying between the Tennessee 
and Cumberland rivers, near the Kentucky line, on 
the 11th of February the three divisions constituting 
his force, under the command of Generals McCler- 
nand, C. F. Smith, and Lewis Wallace, moved by 
different routes towards Fort Donelson, and by the 
evening of the 12th were in front of the fort. General 
Grant proceeded at once to put them in position to in- 
vest the fort, though, owing to the non-arrival of th.e 
gunboats, which had been obliged to descend the Ten- 
nessee and ascend the Cumberland, the riverfront of the 
fort was still open. On the morning of the 13th the 
Carondelet, the only gunboat which had arrived, by 
General Grant's direction eno-ag^ed the fort for two 
hours, and then withdrew. The object of this diver- 
sion was to give time for the remainder of his troops 
and the gunboats to arrive by way of the river. On 
the 14th, the gunboats and troops having arrived, a 
combined attack by the land and marine forces was 

3* 



30 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

« 

ordered. The principal attack was made by the gun- 
boats, which silenced the water-batteries ; but, after a 
protracted contest, two of the iron-clads were disabled 
by plunging shots from the higher batteries,^ and two 
others so much injured that a single shot might disable 
them entirely. Under these circumstances, Flag-officer 
Foote, who had already been wounded', decided to with- 
draw from the action. General Grant now proposed to 
reduce the fort by siege, but on the morning of the 15th 
the enemy made a sudden and desperate sortie from 
their works upon the extreme right of the Union line, 
and at first broke it and captured two batteries of artil- 
lery. Very soon the troops were rallied, reinforcements 
brought up, and all but three of the captured guns re- 
taken. The rebels in turn were reinforced, and again 
broke through the Union lines and drove back the sup- 
porting regiments, holding the position they had gained 
with great tenacity. At this time the Union centre had 
advanced and gained some successes in the rebel line, 
but so successful had the rebels been on the right that 
the day seemed lost. General Pillow, the second officer 
in command in the rebel fort, telegraphed to Nashville, 
" Upon the honor of a soldier, the day is ours." But 
while some of the Union officers gave way to despond- 
ency, no such feeling found a place in the heart of 
General Grant. At the darkest moment, he exclaimed 
to. one of his staff, after comparing the rejjorts of the of- 
ficers sent into headquarters, " Good ! we have them 
now exactly where we want them." General 0. F. 
Smith, one of the ablest officers in the army, was ordered 
to make a vigorous assault with his fresh troops on the 
left of the line, and carry it at whatever cost; and, 
meantime, Lewis Wallace was to hurl his force against 
the enemy in their advanced position on the right, and 



GENERAL GRANT. 31 

drive them back at the point of the bayonet. General 
Smith's advance was one of the finest of the war. With 
his cap lifted, and his gray hair streaming in the wind, 
he galloped along the front of Iiis men, unheeding the 
missiles which Hew thick ai'ound him like the pattering 
of a heavy rain. " Steady ! men ; steady !" rang out hi 
his clear tones ; and steadily they advanced, though at 
every step tlieir lines were thinned by the deadly minie 
balls. They reached the line of the rebel troops, and 
drove them back, back, till they had gained a position 
from which they could render the strongest portion of 
the fort untenable. Then rang out their hurrahs, and 
the whole army resounded with shouts of triumph. 
Wallace had done his work well ; and at sunset the 
Union army occupied a position along the whole line 
which it was evident would give them the fort in an- 
other day. That night the rebel generals held a council 
to deliberate on their action for the morrow. General 
Buckner, who had held the position on the left, from 
which he had been driven by General Smith, declared 
that he could not hold his post a half-hour if the Union 
troops should attack, as they were certain to do, at day- 
break ; that his men were too much wearied and dis- 
couraged to fight, and proposed to treat with Grant for 
an armistice, and to capitulate on the best terms that 
could be obtained. Floyd and Pillow objected to this ; 
they were unwilling to be taken prisoners, — Floyd, in par- 
ticular, being conscious of a record as secretary of war 
which would put his life in peril. There was some talk 
of attempting to fight their way out, but Buckner de- 
clared that three-fourths of the troops would be sacri- 
ficed in the attempt ; and it was finally arranged that 
Floyd and Pillow should relinquish their commands to 
Buckner, and escape with what troops they could take 



Oji OUR GKEAT CAPTAINS. 

away, and Buckner should surrender with the re- 
mainder. Accordingly, Floyd and Pillow stole away 
during the night with one brigade of rebel troops, and 
embarking on some small steamboats in the river, made 
their escape to Nashville. 

At dawn of the 16th, a messenger, bearing a flag of 
truce, approached the Union lines with a message for 
General Grant, It was as follows : 

" Headquaetees, Fokt Donelson, ) 
February 16, 1862. ) 

*' Sir, — In consideration of all the circumstances gov- 
erning the present situation of aifairs at this station, I 
propose to the commanding officer of the Federal forces 
the appointment of commissioners to agree upon terms 
of capitulation of the forces and fort under my com- 
mand, and in that view suggest an armistice till twelve 
o'clock to-day. 

I am, sir, respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 
S. B. BUCKNER, BRia-GEN., C. S. A. 
To Brigadier-General Grant, commanding 

United States forces near Fort Donelson." 

The writer of this note knew what Grant did not, 
that he was powerless to continue the contest another 
hour, and that his two senior generals and a part of his 
troops had already fled ; but Grant was fully assured 
that before sunset of that day he could carry the fort by 
force of arms, though perhaps with considerable loss; 
but he had no disposition to hold parley long with a 
traitor, nor to yield other and better conditions to him 
than such as he had the power to enforce w^ithin a few 
hours, and he accordingly sent back by Buckner's mes- 
senger the following brief but decisive reply : 



general grant. 33 

" Headquakters, Akmy in the Field, ) 
Camp near Donelson, Feb. 16, 1862. f 

To General S. B. Buckner, Confederate Army 

Yours of this date proposing an armistice, and ap- 
pointment of commissioners to settle terms of capitula- 
tion, is just received. No terms other than unco7idi- 
tional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I pro- 
pose to move immediately upon your worksP 
I am, respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

U. S. GRANT, 
Brig.-Gen., U. S. A., commanding.'* 

The rebel general was greatly chagrined at this reply, 
but, knowing his inability to sustain another assault, he 
was compelled to submit, which he did most ungra- 
ciously in the following letter : 

" Headquarters, Dover, Tenn., ) 
Feb. 16, 1862. y 

To Brigadier-General U. S. Grant, U. S. A. 

Sir, — The distribution of the forces under my com- 
mand, incident to an unexpected change of commanders, 
and the overwhelming force under your command, 
compel me, notwithstanding the brilliant success of the 
Confederate arms yesterday, to accept the ungenerous 
and unchivalrous terms which you propose. 

I am, sir, your very obedient servant, 

s. b. buckner, 

Brig.-Gen., C. S. A. 

By this surrender the Union troops received, and the 
rebels lost, over thirteen thousand prisoners, including 
one brigadier-general and numerous inferior officers, 
three thousand horses, forty-eight field-pieces, seventeen 



3^ OUK GREAT CAPTAINS. 

heavy guns, twenty thousand stand of arms, and a large 
quantity of commissary stores. The rebel loss, aside 
from this, was 230 killed, and 1,007 wounded, some 
of whom were prisoners. The Union loss was, killed 
446, wounded 1,735, prisoners 150. The day after the 
capitulation two regiments of rebel Tennesseans, num- 
bering 1,745 officers and men, who had been ordered to 
reinforce Fort Donelson, but were unaware of the sur- 
render, marched into the fort with colors flying, and 
were at once made prisoners. 

The capture of these forts having effectually flanked 
the rebel posts of Columbus and Bowling Green, Ky., 
the rebel commanders made all haste to evacuate them, 
Polk descending the river to island No. Ten, and John- 
ston making a hurried retreat to Nashville, Tenn. 

The victory tluis won caused the promotion of General 
Grant to the major-generalship, his commission dating 
Feb. 16, 1862. It may be as w^ell in this place to meet 
the charge w^hich was about this time industriously prop- 
agated, that General Grant was addicted to habits of 
intemperance. Tlie masterly manner in which he had 
conducted the brief campaign just closed was in itself an 
indication that he could not have been, as was freely 
charged, an habitual drunkard ; but we have other and 
conclusive evidence that the charge, however it origi- 
nated, was wholly false. His father, and the officers of 
his staff, who have been with him throughout the war, 
testify that he is, and has been from his youth, one of 
the most abstemious of men, rarely or never tasting in- 
toxicating liquors, even as a medicine. 

On the 14th of February, General Halleck, foreseeing 
the result which soon followed, announced the formation 
of the new military district of West Tennessee, bounded 
on the south by Tennessee river and the State line of 



>v 



GENERAL GKANT. 35 

Mississippi, and west by the Mississippi river as far 
north as Cairo. To the command of this new district 
he assigned General Grant, with permission to select his 
own headquarters. 

In taking command of this new district, on the lYth 
of February, General Grant first issued the following 
congratulatory order to the troops which had aided in 
the reduction of Fort Donelson : 

" Headquahtees, District of West Tennessee, ) 
Fort Donelson, Feb. 17, 1863. j" 

General Order, No. 2. 
The General commanding takes great pleasure in con- 
gratulating the troops of this command for the triumph 
over rebelHon gained by their valor on the thirteenth, 
fourteenth, and fifteenth instant. For four successive 
nights, without shelter, during the most inclement wea- 
ther known in this latitude, tliey faced an enemy in 
large force, in a position chosen by himself. Though 
strongly fortified by nature, all the additional safeguards 
suggested by science were added. Without a murmur 
this was borne, prepared at all times to receive an at- 
tack, and with continuous skirmishing by day, resulting 
ultimately in forcing the enemy to surrender without 
conditions. The victory achieved is not only great in 
the effect it will have in breaking down rebelUon, but 
has secured the greatest number of prisoners of war ever 
taken in any battle on this continent. 

Fort Donelson will hereafter be marked in capitals 
on the map of our united country, and the men who 
fought the battle will live in the memory of a grateful 
■ people. 

By order of 

U. S. GRANT, 

Brig.-Gen. commanding." 



56 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

It was no part of General Grant's policy to rest satis- 
fied with this victory. The enemy whom he had thus 
driven from one stronghold must be followed promptly, 
and driven successively from each one where they might 
seek shelter. The district of West Tennessee, now 
nominally, must be very soon really in his possession, 
and the rebel army captured or driven far towards the 
Gulf. Immediate preparation w^as therefore made for 
an advance. The gunboats were ordered to ascend the 
Cumberland, and a land force, consisting of a division of 
Grant's army, under command of General C. F. Smith, 
marched along the west bank of that river to keep them 
company. 

On the 20th of February, Clarksville, the most im- 
portant depot of supplies on the river, was captured 
without a fight, and supplies sufficient to sustain Grant's 
whole Army for twenty days were found there. This 
place was at once garrisoned and held, while the gun- 
boats continued to ascend the river to open the way for 
the Army of the Ohio, under command of General Bueh, 
whicli was marching from Bowling Green to occupy 
Nashville. On the 22d of February, General Grant, 
who remained for a time at Fort Donelson to or- 
ganize the troops constantly arriving, and to send 
forward men and suppUes, issued an order declaring 
his district under martial law ; and on the 25th, pub- 
lished a general order received from General Halleck, 
prohibiting, under severe penalties, all pillaging, ma- 
rauding, the destruction of private property, and the 
stealing and concealment of slaves, and defining the 
status of non-combatants, and the rules to be ob- 
served in obtaining forced contributions for supplies 
and subsistence. 

After the fall of Nashville, the gunboats returne(? to 



GENERAL GRANT. 37 

the Ohio river, and ascended the Tennessee river as far 
as Florence, Alabama. Their reconnoissance demon- 
strated the fact that there were no considerable bodies 
of rebel troops along the river, and that a base of opera- 
tions could be estabHshed near the southern line of his 
district. In the interval which must necessarily elapse 
before this change could be effected, he removed his 
headquarters to Fort Henry, and continued the organi- 
zation of the troops now constantly ascending the Ten- 
nessee river, sending small bodies in every direction to 
scour the country, who occasionally encountered the 
enemy, and, in one instance (at Paris, Tenn.) met and 
defeated a considerable rebel force, causing them to lose 
in killed, wounded, and prisoners, over one hundred 
men. 

While engaged in this work of organizing troops, on 
the 11th of March, General Grant was presented with an 
elegant sword by four of the colonels of regiments con- 
stituting the garrison of Fort Henry. 

The rebel commander-in-chief, Albert Sydney John- 
ston, after he had been compelled to abandon Nashville, 
concentrated his troops at Corinth, Mississippi, the point 
of junction of the Mobile and Ohio and Memphis and 
Charleston railroads, a position which, from its connec- 
tions with the great network of railroads traversing the 
Southern States, was admirably adapted to the collec- 
tion of troops from all quarters, and, from its great 
natural strength and capacity for fortification, could 
readily be made a most formidable position. To this 
point were brought, with the greatest possible rapidity, 
all the rebel troops which could be collected from the 
Southwest, and organized under the supervision of 
Generals Johnston, Beauregard, Bragg, Hardee, and 
Polk. Corinth was but little more than twenty-five 

4 



38 OUE GEEA.T CAPTAINS. 

miles from Savannah, Tennessee, the point first selected 
by General Grant as his base of operations, and was still 
nearer to Pittsburg Landing or Shiloh, on the west 
bank of the Tennessee, the point finally selected from 
strategic considerations by Major-General C. F. Smith, 
who was in command in the absence of General Grant 
at Fort Henry. General Buell with the army of the 
Ohio, which had been in the service longer than most 
of Grant's troops, was ordered by General Halleck to 
march across the country from Nashville and join Grant 
at Pittsburg Landing, and, the roads being heavy, made 
but slow progress. 

Meantime the rebel commander, who had assembled 
at Corinth an army of full forty-five thousand men, 
under his ablest generals, with thirty thousand more 
under Van Dorn and Price, coming from Arkansas, 
well disciplined, and provided with all that was ne- 
cessary to its efficiency, had conceived the plan of 
hurling his forces upon Grant before Buell could come 
up, and while Lewis Wallace's division was at Crump's 
Landing, some distance from the field of battle, and 
thus conquering the Union army in detail. The plan 
was well devised, and came very near being successful. 
Johnston at first fixed upon April 5th as the time for 
making the attack, and had he adhered to this deter- 
mination he would very possibly have succeeded ; but, 
desirous of obtaining Van Dorn's and Price's reinforce- 
ments before moving, he delayed one day, in the hope 
that they would come up, and that day's delay lost him 
the battle. The roads in that region were so heavy that 
though Pittsburg Landing was but twenty miles away, 
it took the rebel army two days to i-each it. General 
Grant's suspicions had been aroused by the movements 
of some of the rebel reconnoitering parties on the night 



GENERAL GRANT. 39 

of the second of April, and he returned to the camp 
that night from Savannah, ten miles away, where his 
headquarters were, and reconnoitred in person. 

As no sign of battle appeared, he returned to Sa- 
vannah, leaving orders to fire a signal-gun if there were 
any appearances of an approaching battle. The Union 
army was surrounded by spies; rebel citizens who, while 
professing to be non-combatants, discovered and carried 
to the rebel headquarters every position and movement 
of the Union forces. 

The forces under General Grant's command, consti- 
tuting the army of West Tennessee, Avere organized in 
five divisions, commanded as follows: First division, 
Major-General John A. McClernand ; second division, 
Brigadier-General W. H. L. Wallace ; third division, 
Major-General Lewis Wallace; fourth division, Briga- 
dier-General S. A. Hurlbut; fifth division, Brigadier- 
General W. T. Sherman. Of these generals, McCler- 
nand, W. H. S. Wallace, Hurlbut, and Sherman were 
at Pittsburg Landing, and Lewis Wallace at Crump's 
Landing, six miles distant. General Buell's forces, the 
Army of the Ohio, were twenty miles distant. 

The troops were arranged in the following order : 
Prentiss's command, a subdivision of McClernand's, oc- 
cupied the extreme Union left, resting on Lick creek, a 
distance of nearly three miles from the Tennessee river; 
next came McClernand ; then W. H. L. Wallace, forming 
the right, with Sherman partly in reserve as a support 
on the right wing, extending along Snake creek. Gene- 
ral Hurlbut's division, acted as the supports of Prentiss 
on the left wing, and were also partly in reserve. The 
Union force that day in the battle did not exceed thirty- 
eight thousand. The rebel commander had thrown a 
detachment between Pittsburg and Crump's landings. 



40 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

and thus obstructed Lew. Wallace's division, and com- 
pelled them to make so extended a detour thut they were 
unable to take any part in the first day's battle. 

The battle commenced at daybreak of the 6th of 
April (Sunday), by a sudden and desperate attack on 
the extreme left, Prentiss's division, which was taken 
somewhat by surprise, but fought bravely. The rebel 
force was, however, massed so heavily upon them, that 
they at last gave way, and the greater part of them were 
captured. Hurrying these to the rear, the rebels next 
hurled their forces upon W. H. L. Wallace and Sher- 
man. Wallace was mortally wounded, and his troops 
driven back some distance, but Sherman, making a 
stubborn resistance, held his position and repulsed the 
enemy, who however raUied and returned to the attack, 
flinging, meantime, a large force of fresh troops upon 
McClernand's division, and that general, though doing 
his utmost to keep his troops in line, was crowded back. 
The rebels next having tried in vain to break Sherman's 
lines, about two p.m. slackened their fire on him, and 
threw their principal force on General Hurlbut's divi- 
sion, gradually but surely pressing them back, till the 
greater part of the line was two and a half miles in rear 
of their first position, though still a half-mile from the 
river. Sherman meanwhile had taken a new line in a 
strong position, and repulsed all attacks, while Web- 
ster, General Grant's chief of artillery, gathering the 
batteries which had been scattered, and some of them 
deserted, opened a steady and destructive fire upon 
the enemy, who were making desperate efforts to turn 
the Union left, rout General Hurlbut, and gain posses- 
sion of the landing. The fire of the artillery, aided by 
that of the gunboats Tyler and Lexington, which, 
coming within range, opened heavily upon the rebel 



GENERAL GRANT. 41 

ranks, caused them to give way a little, and General 
T. J. Wood's division, the advance of Buell's corps, 
coming up just at tliis time, aided in driving them back. 
At nightfall the rebels rested on their arms in what had 
been the Union camp ; but the Union forces, though 
sadly shattered, looked forward with confidence to the 
morrow, when they felt certain they would be able to 
drive back and defeat the enemy. The rebel com- 
mander-in-chief. General Albert S. Johnston, had been 
mortally wounded early in the action, and died before 
evening, and General Beauregard was now in com- 
mand. 

Where, in this day of desperate fighting, was General 
Grant?' That he was in the battle during the day was 
admitted, and was, indeed, evident from his own re- 
port, though, with characteristic modesty, he does not 
state when he reached the field. But his enemies, and 
among them some who should have had more manhood 
than to have brought false accusations against him, 
charged that he was surprised, and was, indeed, de- 
feated, until General Buell's coming and taking com- 
mand reversed the tables, and from the misfortunes 
of the first day's battle evoked the triumph of the 
second. It was also charged that he was unjustifiably 
absent on the morning of the first day's battle ; that his 
place was with his troops ; that he did not arrive till 
noon, and that he did nothing to prevent the demorali- 
zation which was taking place among his raw troops. To 
these charges, though knowing their falsity. General 
Grant has never deigned reply, but within the past few 
weeks we have had a refutation of them from the man 
of all others best qualified to testify to the truth in the 
ease, Major-General Sherman. He states, in a letter to 
the editor of the " United States Service Magazine," that 

4* 



42 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

the battle-field was chosen Ly the late lamented Major- 
General Charles F. Smith, and that it was well chosen ; 
that on any other the Union army would have been over- 
whelmed. He further says tliat General Grant was early 
on the field; that he visited his division in person about 
ten A. M., when the battle was raging fiercest ; appi-oved 
of his stubborn resistance to the enemy, and, in answer 
to his inquiry concerning cartridges, told him that he 
had anticipated their want, and given orders accord- 
ingly ; and, remarking that his presence was more 
needed over at the left, rode ofi* to encourage the 
hardly pressed ranks of McClernand's and Hurlbut's 
divisions. 

"About five P.M.," continues General Sherman, "be- 
fore the sun set, General Grant came again to me, and, 
after hearing my report of matters, explained to me the 
situation of affairs on the left, which were not as favor- 
able ; still, the enemy had failed to reach the landing of 
the boats. We agreed that the enemy had expended 
the furore of his attack, and we estimated our loss and 
approximated our then strength, including Lew. Wal- 
lace's fresh division, expected each minute. He then 
ordered me to get all things ready, and at daylight the 
next day to assume the offensive. That was before 
General Buell had arrived, but he was known to be near 
at hand. General Buell's troops took no essential part 
in the first day's fight, and Grant's army, though col- 
lected together hastily, green as militia, some regiments 
arriving without cartridges even, and nearly all hearing 
the dread sound of battle for the first time, had success- 
fully withstood and repelled the first day's terrific onset 
of a superior enemy, well commanded and well handled. 
I know I had orders from General Grant to assume the 
offensive before I knew General Buell was on the west 



GENERAL GRANT. 43 

side of the Tennessee I understood Grant's forcea 

were to advance on the right of the Corinth road, and 
Buell's on the left (this was on the Yth), and accordingly 
at daylight I advanced my division by the flank, the re- 
sistance being tiivial, np to tlie very spot wlidre the day 
before the battle had been most severe, and then waited 
till near noon for Buell's troops to get up abreast, when 
the entire line advanced and recovered all the ground 
we had ever held. I know that, with the exception oi 
one or two severe struggles, the fighting of April Yth 
was easy as compared with that of April 6th. I never 
was disposed, nor am I now, to question any thing done 
by General Buell and his army, and know that, ap- 
proaching our field of battle from the rear, he en- 
countered that sickening crowd of laggards and fugi- 
tives that excited his contempt and that of his army, 
who never gave full credit to those in the front line who 
did fight hard, and who had, at four p. m., checked the 
enemy, and were preparing the next day to assume the 
offensive." 

Thus far General Sherman. Let us now resume the 
history of the battle. General Lew. Wallace's division 
had reached the battle-field on the evening of the 6th, 
too late to participate in the fighting of that day, but 
fresh and ready for the severe work of the morrow. 
General Nelson's division of Buell's army crossed the 
river during the night, and were also ready to com- 
mence fighting at dawn ; but the remainder of Buell's 
army, owing to a deficiency of transportation and the 
want of pontoons, did not cross till the morning of the 
7th. General Grant assigned Wallace's division to the 
right and Nelson's to the left of his line, and the divi- 
sions which formed the centre were those which had so 
bravely withstood the onset of the previous day. The 



44 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

attack on the 7th was made by the Union troops, 
General Nelson, on the left, opening with a destructive 
and galling fire, and advancing rapidly as the rebels fell 
back. In a short time the fighting was general along 
the whole line, and though the rebels maintained their 
position with great tenacity at some points, and were 
urged forward by their leaders, they at length began to 
break, and, when the remainder of Buell's troops came 
up towards noon, they gave evidence of thorough de- 
feat, and, after an ineffective struggle, fled, abandon- 
ing their artillery and small-arms, about five o'clock, 
p. M. The battle had been the most sanguinary of the 
war up to that time. Of the Union troops, one thousand 
six hundred and fourteen were slain, seven thousand 
seven hundred and twenty-one were wounded, and 
three thousand nine hundred and sixty-three were 
missing, the greater part of them prisoners, making a 
total of thirteen thousand two hundred and ninety- 
eight hors de combat. The rebel losses, as stated by 
Pollard, were, killed, one thousand seven hundred and 
twenty-eight ; wounded, eight thousand and twelve ; 
missing, nine hundred and fifty-nine ; making an ag- 
gregate of ten thousand six hundred and ninety-nine. 

There is abundant evidence that the amount of miss- 
ings which includes the prisoners not wounded, is greatly 
understated, and from this statement it appears that the 
number of their killed and wounded was considerably 
in excess of that of the Union troops. The loss of 
cannon by the Union troops on the sixth was nearly 
or quite balanced by the loss of the rebels on the 
seventh. General Grant was slightly wounded in the 
ankle in this battle. The rebel loss of officers in high 
command had been very severe. 3ea^des their com- 
mander-in-chief, General A. S. Johnston, General Glad- 



GENERAL GEANT. 46 

den of South Carolina, General G. M. Johnston, pseudo 
governor of Kentucky, and Colonels Adams, Kitt Wil- 
liams, and Blythe were killed ; and Genei-als Breckin- 
ridge, Hardee, Cheatham, Johnson, and Bo wen were 
wounded. General Grant's troops were too completely 
exhausted to make pursuit that night, and General Buell 
did not order any of his force, which was less wearied, 
to that duty. On the morning of the 8th, General Grant 
ordered Sherman to follow the retreating rebel force. 
He di(i so, and proceeding along the Corinth road, came 
upon the rebel cavalry, whom he drove from the field 
after a short skirmish, and, pressing forward, entered 
and destroyed the rebel camp and considerable quan- 
tities of ammunition. Proceeding onward, he found 
abundant evidences of a hasty and disorderly retreat, in 
the abandoned wagons, ambulances, and limber-boxes 
which strewed the road. 

On the evening of the 8th, General Beauregard sent by 
flag of triuie a note to General Grant, asking permission 
to send a mounted party to the battlefield to bury the 
dead, and that gentlemen wishing to remove the re- 
mains of their sons and friends might accompany the 
party. The next morning General Grant replied that, 
owing to the warmth of the weather, he had made heavy 
details of forces to bury the dead of both parties, and 
that it had been accomplished. He therefore declined to 
permit the approach of any party of the enemy to the 
battle-field. 

General Halleck, the commander of the Mississippi 
department, on hearing of the battle of Pittsburg Land- 
ing, hastened at once to the field to take command in 
person, and on the 13th of April issued a general order 
expressive of his thanks to General Grant and General 
Buell, and the officers and men under their charge, for 



46 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

the results of the great battle. He also collected at the 
camp at ^Pittsburg Landing all the troops which could 
be spared from the other posts of the department, and 
reorganized the army in sixteen divisions, eight of which 
formed the Army of the Tennessee, under General Grant, 
four the Army of the Ohio, under General Buell, and four 
the Army of the Mississippi, mider General John Pope. 
On the 30th of April this grand army moved forward 
to drive the rebels from their strongly fortified position 
at Corinth. As they approached the strongiiold several 
sharp actions occurred between them and the rebels, 
which however resulted, in each instance, in the repulse 
of the latter. On the 17th of May the Union army com- 
menced a series of regular approaches for the reduction 
of the city. On the 19th, General Grant urged General 
Halleck to allow liim with his army to assaulTb the 
enemy's works, as he was satistie-d that the rebel army 
could be captured by a vigorous and concerted attack. 
General Halleck refused, preferring the method of slow^ 
approaches. General Grant still urged with great im- 
portunity, and a quarrel threatened between the two 
generals, the only one in Grant's military career. Hal- 
leck, however, adhered to his plan, and, in spite of fre- 
quent sallies on the part of the enemy, the parallels 
were drawn closer and closer, and on the night of the 
28th of May, Generals Beauregard and Bragg, with their 
troops, evacuated Corinth, blowing up their caissons and 
magazines, and, moving southward along the Mobile 
and Ohio railroad, sought a safer position. They were 
pursued by General Pope, but without any considerable 
result, thougli their flight was somewhat accelerated, and 
by the end of June there was no rebel force within fifty 
miles of Corinth. Meantime, New Orleans and the foils 
below it had been surrendered to the Union forces under 



GENERAL GRANT. 47 

Farragut and Butler, and Memphis had been captured 
by the Mississippi flotilla under Commodore Davis. On 
the 17th of July, General Halleck was summoned to 
Washington to take the position of general-in-chief 
of the armies of the United States, and the new de- 
partment of West Tennessee created, embracing North- 
ern Mississippi, West Tennessee, Western Kentucky, 
and Southern Illinois, and General Grant placed in com- 
mand of it. General Curtis had succeeded General 
Pope in command of the Army of the Mississippi, now 
named the department of Arkansas, and General Buell 
still commanded the Army of the Ohio, which had for 
its department the region inclosed by the Tennessee 
river. General Grant made his lieadqnarters for a time 
at Memphis, which, with its swarms of crafty secession- 
ists, speculators, gamblers, and Jewish traders, desperate 
for gain, bid fair to be of more value to the rebels, when 
in possession of the Unionists, than when held by the 
rebels themselves, inasmuch as every thing in the way of 
supplies, which the enemy needed, was smuggled through 
the lines to them on one pretence or another. This il- 
licit traffic General Grant broke up with a strong hand, 
and crushed the disloyal operators so effectually that the 
unscrupulous traitors and spies were almost beside them- 
selves with I'age. 

Me;intime,. General Bragg was moving with all speed 
througli Tennessee to Kentucky, and General Butll fol- 
lowing, but not overtaking him ; and when he doubled 
upon his track and again faced southward, Buell still 
pursued, and, after fighting an indecisive battle at 
Perryville, suffei-ed him to make good his escape, with 
his plunder, into. Tennessee again. This expedition of 
General Bragg was only one portion of a combined 
movement of the rebels, having for its object the ex- 



4:8 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

pulsion of the Union armies from Northern Mississippi, 
West Tennessee, and West Kentucky, and the regain- 
ing of the territory they had lost within the previous 
seven or eight months. That portion of the programme 
liaving for its object the expulsion of Grant from his 
department was intrusted to Generals Van Dorn, Price, 
and Lovell. The first movement made by the rebels to^' 
this end was the capture of luka, a Union post about 
twenty miles from Corinth, and the subsequent battle of 
luka, in which Price attacked General Rosecrans, then 
one of Grant's lieutenants. The battle was a very severe 
one, but Price was severely beaten and compelled to 
evacuate the town. He retreated eastward instead of 
northward, as Grant had expected, and managed to join 
Van Dorn and Lovell in Tippah county, Mississippi, 
when the three, with a formidable force, determined to 
repossess themselves of Corinth, and thus compel Grant 
to loosen his hold on West Tennessee. General Grant 
comprehended their plans, and was ready to thwart 
them. It was at first somewhat uncertain whether they 
would attempt to seize Corinth, where Rosecrans was 
now stationed, or Bolivar, which was held by General 
Ord, another of Grant's lieutenants, with a considerable 
force, or Jackson, where General Grant had his own head- 
quarters ; their position near Pocahontas, on the Mem- 
phis and Charleston railroad, threatening all these about 
equally. This will be evident from a glance at the map, 
Jackson being the apex of an equilateral triangle formed 
by the junction of the Mobile and Ohio and Mississippi 
and Jackson railroads at Jackson, and their several cross- 
ings of the Memphis and Charleston raili'oad at Lagrange 
and Corinth. Corinth formed another angle of the tri- 
angle, and Pocahontas was nearly midway between that 
and Lagrange, and Bolivar about half-way between La- 



GENERAL GRANT. 49 

grange and Jackson. Bnt Grant had so arranged his 
forces and timed his movements, that whichever point 
might be attacked, a supporting force should be ready to 
strike the enemy in the rear, or to cut off his escape. 
General Hurlbut had been stationed between Pocahontas 
and Lagrange, and when it became evident that Corinth 
was the point aimed at by the enemy, he put himself in 
position to intercept his retreat along the Hatchie river, 
and General Ord was directed to move to his support. 
We need not describe in detail the battle of Corinth ; 
suffice it to say that General Rosecrans defeated the 
combined rebel force after a severe battle on the 3d and 
4th of October, and that the flying rebels were pursued 
and terribly punished by Hurlbut and Ord, and by 
General McPherson, whom he had detached from his 
immediate command for the purpose. A more thorough 
defeat and rout had not, up to that time, occurred during 
the war, nor a more decided and zealous pursuit. On 
the 25th of October, another change was made in the 
boundaries of the department of Tennessee. General 
Rosecrans was assigned to the command of the old de- 
partment of the Ohio — now somewhat changed in 
boundary, and renamed the department of the Cumber- 
land — in place of General Buell, relieved ; and the de- 
partment of Tennessee was extended down the Missis- 
sippi to Vicksburg. This new department General 
Grant divided into four districts, and assigned com- 
manders to each, viz. : 1st. The district of Memphis, 
General W. T. Sherman, commander ; 2d. The district 
of Jackson, General S. A. Hurlbut, commander; 3d. The 
district of Corinth, Brigadier-General C. S. Hamilton, 
commander; 4th. The district of Columbus, Brigadier- 
General T. A. Davies, commander. 

There was still much trouble in regard to trade at 
5 



50 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

Memphis, and other points in his department. While 
some of those engaged in trade were men of high and 
honorable character, too many were unscrupulous specu- 
lators, who were ready, for the sake of gain, to smuggle 
through the lines weapons, ammunition, food, medicines, 
and other articles contraband of war, to the rebels. 
General Grant tried the most stringent rules and the 
most critical examination, but the evil still continued, 
and he was compelled to expel the Jews, who had been 
the principal offenders, from the department. Amid the 
almost universal corruption which prevailed at this 
period — very many officers in the army secretly engaging 
in cotton speculations, and neglecting their duty to ac- 
quire wealth in this way — Genei-al Grant's reputation for 
strict integrity, and avoidance of even the appearance 
of evil, was never questioned. He was remarkably sen- 
sitive to any thing which might seem to implicate his in- 
tegrity in these matters. A friend, himself a man of un- 
impeachable honor, proposed to him, at this time, that 
he should desio^nate Union men of hio^h character to 
conduct the necessary trade. "No!" was his prompt 
reply, " I will do no such thing ; for, if I did, it would 
be stated within a week, on the highest authority, that I 
was a partner with every man I appointed ; and if any 
of them were guilty of misconduct, the blame and guilt 
would fall on my shoulders." 

Vicksburg was now the goal of Gi'ant's hopes ; to 
ca})ture that stronghold, the great object of his ambition. 
It was, indeed, a prize worth contending for. It was the 
key to the navigation of the Mississippi ; strong by 
nature, in its terraced bluffs i-ising high over the Mis- 
sissippi, it had been made tenfold stronger by the en- 
gineer's art, and w^as believed by the rebels to be 
utterly impregnable. From the very commencement 



GENERAL GRANT. 51 

of the war no pains had been spared in fortifying it, and 
when the loss of the forts below New Orleans and of 
Island No. Ten, and Memphis, had convinced the rebels 
that this fortress must be their main dependence in 
closing the river navigation, they redoubled their eiforts 
to make it a perfect Gibraltar. Not simply the city it- 
self was surrounded with earthworks — fort, bastion, 
redan, and rifle-pits — but Haines', Chickasaw, and Wal- 
nut bluffs, to the northwest, north, and northeast of the 
city, and Warrenton, commanding the lower approaches 
to it, were also strongly fortified, and iron-clad vessels 
of formidable character were built on the Yazoo river 
above, out of harm's way, to descend at the proper time 
and carry destruction among the gunboats of the Union 
squadron. It had been assailed before its defences were 
quite perfected, in the suuimer of 1862, by Admiral 
Farragut's squadron, but a long bombardment had 
proved ineffectual, so lofty were its bluffs, and so for- 
midable at that time its batteries. An attempt during 
the same summer, by General Williams (who was killed 
in August of that year at Baton Rouge), to turn the cur 
rent of the Mississippi through a canal across the penin- 
sula formed by the bend of the Mississippi in front of 
Vicksburg, had proved a failure. General Grant was 
well aware how formidable was the enterprise he was 
about to undertake, and he made all possible prepara- 
tion for it. The troops of the levy of July and August, 
1862, were rapidly joining the army and rendering its 
numbers large, far beyond any former precedent. The 
supplies of food, ammunition, arms, clothing, tfcc, were 
also collected in vast quantities at suitable depots, for 
distribution to the forces of each district. Early in De- 
cember, General Grant began to move his troops down 
the Mississippi Central railroad, for the purpose of a 



52 OUR &REAT CAPTAINS. 

flank movement upon Yicksburg, to be executed in con- 
cert with an attack upon the north and northwest front 
of the city, by a force under General Sherman descend- 
ing the river from Memphis. About the 15th of De- 
cember, General Grant's headquarters were at Oxford, 
Mississippi, while his principal depot of supplies w^as at 
Holly Springs, thirty miles above, guarded by a suffi- 
cient garrison under a Colonel Murphy. A small rebel 
force, by a detour to the east, managed to make a dash 
upon Holly Springs on the 20th of December, but might 
easily have been driven off by the garrison, whose com- 
mander had been apprized of the attack. by General 
Grant as soon as possible, and ordered to hold his 
ground and reinforcements should be sent to him. 
Colonel Murphy, however, was either a coward or 
traitor, and made but slight resistance, suffering the 
vast accumulation of supplies to fall into the hands of 
the rebels, who plundered and destroyed them, and 
then made all haste to escape. This mishap deranged 
General Grant's plans, compelling him to fall back to 
Holly Springs and order forward other supplies, and 
thus preventing him from making a simultaneous attack 
with General Sherman upon Vicksburg. Nor was he 
able to apprize General Sherman of the cause of his 
failure. Sherman went forward, made the attack upon 
Vicksburg, but, after a three days' struggle, was com- 
pelled to withdraw his troops, defeated but not dispirited 
at their want of success. Having renewed his stock of' 
supplies, and the time for success in a movement south- 
ward, by way of the Mississippi Central railroad, having 
passed. General Grant next descended the Mississippi 
to Young's Point, Louisiana, a short distance above 
Vicksburg, where he devoted his whole attention to 
solving the problem of capturing the stronghold which 



GENERAL GRANT. 53 

frowned so loftily upon the Mississippi. The problem 
proved a knotty one. An assault on the water-front was 
impossible, and the heavy and repeated bombardments 
of the squadron, though seemingly sufficient to reduce 
any known fortress, made little impression upon this. 
The approaches by way of Chickasaw bluff's, strong 
enough in December to repulse Sherman's army, had 
been fortified since that time, until they left no hope 
of success in that direction. No siege was possible, 
because, the rear being open, supplies and men could 
be thrown in till the besieged could become the of- 
fensive party. There remained three alternatives, all 
attended with difficulty, and none giving very certain 
promise of success. These were the renewal of the 
canal project under more favorable ausjnces, with a view 
to rendering the position of Vicksburg worthless in a 
military point of view, and opening a new route for the 
navigation of the Mississippi through the canal ; the ap- 
proach to the city from tlie north and northeast by way 
of the Yazoo river, which at several points above com- 
municated more or less directly with the Mississippi, and 
the passing of a land and naval force below Vicksburg, 
and attacking the fortress from the south. 

That dogged pertinacity which, when a school-boy, led 
Grant never to give up till he had mastered a difficult 
problem, an heir-loom, perhaps, of his Scotch ancestry, 
now caused him to adhere to his purpose, hopeless as it 
seemed to the rebels, and indeed to our own Govern- 
ment, which at first seemed hardly willing to brook the- 
delay. The canal was first tried, but owing to a sadden 
flood in the Mississippi, which broke the dam and over- 
flowed the adjacent country, it was abandoned. Attempts 
were next made to enter the Yazoo by the old Yazoo pass, 
and subsequently by a more circuitous route, through 



64: OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

Steel'<6 bayou, Black bayou, Duck creek. Deer creek, 
Rolling fork, and Sunflower river ; but neither of these, 
though accomplishing much as raids into the enemy's 
country, proved successful in opening the way for an at- 
tack upon the city of Yicksburg. There remained, then, 
the last alternative of bringing his troops, with their 
supplies, to some point below Yicksburg, and thence at- 
tacking the fortress from below. How to do this was a 
serious question. From Vicksburg to Port Hudson, a 
distance of tw^o hundred and thirty-two miles, every 
commanding bluff was fortified, and the batteries and 
earthworks at Port Hudson, Natchez, Grand Gulf, etc., 
were very formidable. Admiral Farragut had, indeed, 
run past the Port Hudson batteries, but had lost a ship- 
of-war in doing so ; and there was no possibility of bring- 
ing troops for the purpose of attacking Vicksburg from 
New Orleans. To run the batteries in front of Vicks- 
burg, with transports loaded with troops, was impossible ; 
and to lead them through the swamps on the west side of 
the Mississippi, with their trains, at this time of the year 
(February and March), equally so. By opening an old 
channel of the Mississippi, into Lake Providence, and 
thence passing down the Tensas, and through a bayou 
discharging into the Mississippi some distance below 
Grand Gulf, it might be possible to send down some 
troops and supplies ; but the work would necessarily be 
slow, as the route was tortuous, and only practicable for 
small vessels of light draft. Little as it promised, this 
route was tried, and a moderate amount of supplies for- 
warded. But it was necessary that a part of the gun- 
boat squadron should be below Vicksburg, as well as 
transports to bring the troops and stores across the river, 
and to engage the batteries at Grand Gulf. Accordingly, 
after conference with Admirals Farragut and Porter, it 



GENERAL GRANT. 55 

was determined to send a part of the gunboats, and six- 
teen or eighteen transports, laden with forage and sup 
pHes, past the batteries, in two divisions, on different 
nights. This was accomplished with only the loss of two 
transports, though under a most terrific fire continued 
for hours, and was one of the most heroic acts of the war. 

Meantime the roads having improved, and the worst 
portions of them being corduroyed, General Grant com- 
menced marching his troops by land, through the coun- 
try west of the Mississippi, the Thirteenth Army Corps, 
General McClernand's, taking the lead, and the Seven- 
teenth, General McPherson's, following; while the Fif 
teenth. General Sliemran's, and a part of the Sixteenth, 
were left to take care of the communications and supplies, 
and to deceive the rebels as to the intentions of the com- 
manding general. This march, which it was expected 
would terminate at New Garthage, thirty-five miles be- 
low Milliken's bend, the point of departure, was, from 
the condition of the roads, the breaking of the levee, etc., 
extended to Hard Times, Louisiana, a distance of seventy 
miles, and over roads which almost any other general 
would have pronounced impassable. The movement com- 
menced March 29th, and occupied thirty days. 

At first the attempt was made to land the troops near 
Grand Gulf, and the squadon engaged the batteries there 
with the intention of carrying the position, and thus af- 
fording a base of operations. But the resistance was too 
stubborn to be overcome by the gunboats, and, after a 
fight of five hours and a halfj the admiral (Porter) or- 
dered their withdrawal. During the night following 
the squadron and transports ran past the batteries, and 
the next morning commenced ferrying over the troops 
and landing them at Bruinsburg, ten miles below. March- 
ing rapidly from this point northeastward towards Port 



6Q OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

Gibson, the thirteenth and seventeenth corps encountered 
a considerable force of the enemy, whom they defeated 
after a sharp battle, and moved on to and across Bayou 
Pierre. The next day it was ascertained that Grand 
Gulf, which had been flanked by this movement, liad 
been evacuated, and General Grant repaired thither 
with a small escort, and made arrangements to make 
it his base of supplies for a time. These arrangements 
occupied nearly a week. By his orders, as nearly as pos- 
sible simultaneously with the landhig of the two corps 
at Bruinsburg, General Sherman liad made a strong de- 
monstration towai'ds Haines' Bluff and the Yazoo, and 
had thus attracted the attention of the rebels towards 
that quarter, where they believed the entire Union 
army were concentrated, and prevented them from op- 
posing their landing below. 

This being accomplished, Sherman's troops made all 
speed in marching to the rendezvous on the river, where 
the transports were in waiting to take them over to 
Grand Gulf 

Before leaving Young's Point, General Grant had also 
ordered an expedition by a competent cavalry force, 
under the command of Colonel, now General Benj. H. 
Grierson, to start from Lagrange, at the junction of the 
Mississippi Central and Memphis and Charleston rail- 
roads, to follow the lines of the Mobile and Ohio and 
Mississippi Central railroads, and destroy as much of 
these, and the Meridian and Jackson railroad, as pos- 
sible, — capturing and destroying also all stores, ammuni- 
tion, locomotives, and railroad cars possible, in their 
route. This expedition was thoroughly successful, and 
reached Baton Rouge on the 1st of May, at the time 
Grant was fighting the battle of Port Gibson. Other 
raids were ordered about the same time from Midd](^ 



GENERAL GRANT. 57 

Tennessee, wliich aided in breakinsj up the railroad com- 
munications and frustrating the plans of the rebels. 

Our space does not allow us to go into details of the 
subsequent masterly movements by which, while a})pa- 
rently threatening an immediate attack on Vicksburg 
from the south, the garrison there, under the command 
of General Pemberton, were prevented from forming a 
junction with General J. E. Johnston's troops, then in 
the vicinity of Jackson, nor of the battle of Raymond, 
the capture of Jackson, and the destruction of the prop- 
erty and manufactories of the rebel Government there; 
the rapid march westward, the severe "battles of Cham- 
pion's hill and of Black River bridge, and the eminently 
skilful management of the corps of Generals Sher- 
man and McPherson. Suffice it to say that General 
Grant interposed his army between the forces of John- 
ston and Pemberton, drove the former broken and 
routed northward, and compelled the latter to put him- 
self and his defeated army as soon as possible within the 
defences of Vicksburg; and on the 18th the Union army 
sat down before Vicksburg, having completely invested 
it on the land side and opened communication with their 
squadron and transports by way of Walnut bluffs, above 
the river. On the 19th of May, and again on the 2 2d, 
General Grant ordered assaults upon the beleaguered city, 
neither of which were successful, except in gaining some 
ground and expediting the subsequent regular ap- 
proaches. The army now became satisfied that the 
stronghold could only be captured by a systematic 
siege, and General Grant accordingly took all precau- 
tions to make that siege effective, and to prevent the 
rebel General Johnston from approaching with sufficient 
force to raise the si:ge. Day by day the parallels were 
brought nearer and nearer, and finally came so near that 



58 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

the rebels could not use their cannon, while the Union 
artillery from the adjacent hills, and from the squadron, 
constantly showered their iron hail upon the devoted 
city. The inhabitants and the rebel army dug caves in 
the bluffs, and endeavored to shelter themselves from 
the fiery storm, but these were often penetrated by the 
shells from the batteries, or blown up in the explosion of 
the forts. At length, on the third of July, General 
Grant was prepared to order an assault, which could 
not have failed of success, when overtures were made 
for a surrender, and the city was delivered into the 
hands of the Union army on the 4th of July, 1863. 

It is stated that at the interview between General 
Grant and General Peraberton, after shaking hands, 
and a short silence. General Pemberton said ; 

" General Grant, I meet you in order to arrange terms 
for the capitulation of the city of Yicksburg and its gar- 
rison. What terms do you demand ?" 

" Unconditional surrender^'' replied General Grant. 

" Unconditional surrender !" said Pemberton. " Never, 
so long as I have a man left me ! I will fight rather." 

" Then^ sir^ you can continue the defence^'''' replied 
Grant. " My army has never been in a better condition 
for the prosecution of the siege.'''' 

During this conversation. General Pemberton was 
greatly agitated, trembling with emotion from head to 
foot, while Grant was as calm and imperturbable as a 
May morning. After a somewhat protracted interview, 
during which General Grant, in consideration of the cour- 
age and tenacity of the garrison, explained the terms 
he was disposed to allow to them on their uncondi- 
tional surrender, the two generals separated, an armis- 
tice having been declared till morning, when the ques- 
tion of surrendei was to be finally determined. The 



GENERAL GRANT. 69 

same evening General Grant transmitted to General 
Pemberton, in writing, the propositions he had made 
during the afternoon for the disposal of the garrison, 
should they surrender. These terms were very liberal, 
far more so than those usually acceded to a conquered 
garrison. 

The rebel loss in this campaign had been very great, 
larger than has often been experienced in the campaigns 
of modern times, and utterly without precedent in the 
previous history of this continent. The number of pris- 
oners captured by the Union troops, from the landing 
at Bruinsburg to, and including the surrender of Vicks- 
burg, was 34,620, including one lieutenant-general and 
nineteen major and brigadier-generals; and 11,800 men 
were killed, wounded, or deserters. There were also 
among the spoils of the campaign two hundred and 
eleven field-pieces, ninety siege-guns, and 45,000 small- 
arms. The Union losses had been 943 killed, 7,095 
wounded, and 537 missing, making a total of casualties 
of 8,575, and of the wounded nearly one-half returned 
to duty within a month. 

Having disposed of his prisoners at Vicksburg, General 
Grant dispatched General Sherman with an adequate 
force to Jackson to defeat and break up Johnston's army, 
and destroy the rebel stores collected there, in both 
which enterprises he was successful. 

During the long period of two and a quarter years 
since he had entered the army, General Grant had never 
sought or received a day's furlough. But after this great 
victory, and while the thanks of the President, the 
Cabinet, Congress, and the people, were lavished upon 
him without stint, he sought for a few days' rest witii 
his family, and received it. His stay with them was 
brief, and he returned to his duties, descending the 



60 OUE GREAT CAPTAINS 

Mississippi — now, thanks to his skilful generalship, open 
to the navigation of all nations from its mouth to tiie 
falls of St. Anthony — to New Orleans, to confer with 
General Banks relative to the operations of the au- 
tumn. While here, on the 4th of September, he was 
seriously injured by being thrown from his horse while 
reviewing the troops of General Banks' department. 

It had been the intention of the Government to place 
him in command of all the troops west of the Alleghanies 
and east of the Mississippi, on the resumption of active 
warfare early in September, but this accident unfortu- 
nately postponed that appointment. These troops were 
at this time comprised in three distinct armies — the Army 
of the Cumberland, under the command of General Rose- 
crans, the Army of the Tennessee, under General Sher- 
man, and the Army of the Ohio, under General Burn- 
side. The interest of the whole country was now con- 
centrating on the movements of the first of these, the 
Army of the Cumberland. General Rosecrans, an able 
officer, had fought a great battle at Stone river, near 
Murfreesboro, Tenn., at the beginning of the year, with 
the rebel General Bragg, and had compelled that general 
to retreat to Tullahoma; but both armies had maintained 
a position of observation from that period until the last 
of June, when Rosecrans made a movement forward, and, 
threatening to flank Bragg, caused him to evacuate Tul- 
lahoma and retreat upon Chattanooga, a strong position, 
and one which it was very important to the United 
States Government to have in its possession, as it was 
the key to East Tennessee, which, though loyal, had long 
been in the possession of the rebels. General Rosecrans 
pursued slowly but steadily, and by an admirable flank 
movement compelled Bragg to march out of Chattanooga 
to give him battle, and occupied that important jjost 



GENERAL GRANT, 61 

meanwhile with a small garrison. At this critical junc- 
ture, Bragg was largely reinforced from the Army of 
Virginia, and the battle of Chickamauga was fought on 
the 19th and 20th of September, and the result was in- 
decisive, since the Union army, though driven back and 
losing heavily, still occupied Chattanooga, the goal for 
which they fought, and had inflicted a loss equal to or 
greater than their own upon the enemy. The condition 
of the Army of the Cumberland was, nevertheless, pre- 
carious for the next two months, and that of the Army 
of the Ohio, which occupied Knoxville, Tenn., hardly 
less so. The rebels held possession of Lookout Mountain 
and Mission Ridge, and thus were able to lay an embargo 
upon both railroad and river communication with Nash- 
ville and Louisville, the real bases of the Army of the 
Cumberland, and had moreover captured a large train 
of supplies. Rations and forage could only be brought 
for the supply of the Army of the Cumberland by sixty 
miles' cartage over the worst roads in the Republic, and 
the force, augmented in October and November by two 
army corps from the Army of the Potomac, and by a 
part of Sherman's Army of the Tennessee, was for some 
months on half rations. It was at this time that General 
Rosecrans was relieved of the command of the Army of 
the Cumberland, and General Thomas made his suc- 
cessor, while General Grant was put in command of the 
grand military division of the Mississippi, comprising the 
three armies already named. He had not long assumed 
command when affairs put on a brighter aspect. By an 
adroit movement, the sixty miles of wagon road was re- 
duced to ten, over a good road, and presently, by an- 
other equally adroit manoeuvre, the navigation of the 
Tennessee below Chattanooga was secured, and arrange- 
ments made for the speedy repair of the Nashville and 

6 



62 OUli GREAT CAPTAINS. 

Chattanooga railroad. Still, so sanguine was Bragg that 
he should soon obtain possession of Chattanooga, that on 
the 21st of November he sent this message by flag of 
truce to General Grant : " Humanity would dictate the 
removal of all non-combatants from Chattanooga, as I 
am about to shell the city !" 

The reply to this threat came promptly, but it was 
not fully delivered until the evening of the 25th of 
that month. 

General Grant had been devising means and ways 
for the expulsion of the rebel forces from the valley 
of Chattanooga and its vicinity, and his plans were just 
ripe for execution when this summons came from Bragg. 
That general had been betrayed into the indiscretion of 
sending Longstreet with about twenty thousand troops 
to besiege Knoxville, and had thus fatally weakened his 
force. Giving instructions to General Burnside to lure 
him on, and while delaying his progress by occasional, 
and, apparently, strenuous resistance to fall back after 
each battle, till Longstreet was securely entrapped, he 
made rapid dispositions to punish Bragg most severely 
for his audacity. Pontoons were secretly transported to 
the Tennessee, near the mouth of North Chickamauga 
creek, and a sufficient body of troops crossed in boats 
to drive off any rebel troops in the immediate vicinity ; 
and then, at a preconcerted signal, the pontoons were 
laid, a cavalry force crossed, and sent to cut the railroads 
leading to Knoxville effectually, and, a large body of 
troops following them, took possession of an isolated hill 
between the Atlanta railroad and the river. This move- 
ment was made under General Sherman's direction. 
General Hooker, meantime, was dispatched with a suffi- 
cient and resolute force to take possession of Lookout 
Mountain and drive the rebels from it. He marches 



GENERAL GRANT. 63 

down Lookout Valley, and seems to be intending to 
reach and ascend a pass ten miles below, but, when 
out of sight of the rebel camps on the brow of 
the mountain, suddenly turns, ascends, and attacks 
them in the rear, and after a series of gallant engage- 
ments succeeds in driving them, with heavy loss, 
from the mountain, which, the next morning, was 
crowned with the Union flag. 

On the previous day, simultaneously with Sherman's 
movements, General Thomas had moved out of Chatta- 
nooga with a heavy force, and, after a sharp action and 
a brilliant charge, obtained possession of Orchard Knob 
and another eminence in front of Chattanooga, on which 
the rebels had a strong redoubt, and which commanded 
a part of Mission Ridge and the principal forts of the 
rebels on that ridge. 

On the 25th of November, General Grant directed 
General Sherman to make persistent and repeated de- 
monstrations against Fort Buckner, situated on Tunnel 
Hill, the northern extremity of the continuous Mission 
Ridge, not in the expectation that he would be able to 
carry the fort by his assaults, but to draw the attention 
of the rebels in that direction, while he was prej^aring 
to attack them from Fort Wood. Sherman's first as- 
sault was made about 10 a. m. ; it was repulsed, as were 
other successive assaults delivered on one and the other 
slope of the ridge on which Fort Buckner stood defiant, 
and, as the rebels believed, impregnable. The assaulting 
columns were reinforced again and again, and, though 
not successful in carrying the fort, they had accom- 
plished all that Grant desired ; they had drawn thither 
a large portion of the rebel force, thus weakening the 
garrisons of Forts Breckinridge and Bragg, further 
Bouth on the same ridge, and had been able to gain 



64 OUK GKEAT CAPTAINS. 

and hold a position far up the slope, from which, when 
the time came, they could deliver a crushing blow upon 
the rebel fort. It had been announced to the corps in a 
general order, that the firing of six guns was to be 
the signal for the movement of the fourth army corps 
(General Gordon Granger's) to the assault of Fort 
Breckinridge, the largest and most formidable of the 
enemy's works on Mission Ridge, situated nearly a mile 
below Fort Buckner. This fort was about two miles 
distant, and nearly northeast of Fort Wood, the earth- 
work on the summit of Orchard Knob, where Thomas's 
army were assembled. A little past 3 p. m.. General 
Sherman sent word to General Grant that he could hold 
his position, and at twenty minutes to four the signal- 
guns boomed from Fort Wood, and the divisions of 
Wood, Sheridan, and Baird, forming the fourth army 
corps, sprang to their positions, and in five minutes 
were marching steadily towards the ridge. The rebel 
batteries on the summit, and the rifie-pits which girded 
the slope and the base of the ridge, commenced at once 
a sweeping fire over the plain which the assaulting party 
must cross, and the Union batteries — Forts Wood and 
Negley, Forts Palmer and King, from a point nearer 
Chattanooga, Bridge's battery from the base of Orchard 
Knob, and Moccasin Point battery, from the other side 
of the Tennessee — hurled in reply their heavy shot and 
shell, at long range, on the rebel forts and rifle-pits. 
Undismayed by the tempest of shot, and shell, and 
bullets that rained so fiercely upon them, the veteran 
troops pressed steadily and swiftly forward, cleared with 
a hurrah the rifle-pits at the base of the ridge, sending 
the rebel troops which had occupied it back as prisoners, 
and instantly ascending the precipitous slope, a slope so 
steep that it would task severely the powers of a skilful 



GENERAL GRANT. 65 

climber to reach the top unopposed ; yet, with an ardor 
that nothing could restrain, upward, still upward they 
went, though every step was attended with loss from the 
fire of the thirteen batteries on the summit, and the vol- 
leys of musketry which belch forth from the rebel rifle- 
pits and barricades half way up the slope. These last are 
soon carried with a shout, and their occupants sent reel- 
ing down the slope under the fire of their own batteries, 
and, without stopping for breath, the Union soldiers push 
on up a steep so precipitous that the cannon in the forts 
cannot be depressed sufficiently to reach them, and it is 
only the musketry fire from the rebels on the summit 
which opposes them. Tlie rebels did not, would not, 
believe that they could reach the top. Bragg himself 
declared it utterly impossible. Five minutes before the 
Union troops captured Fort Breckinridge, an old lady, 
at whose house on the summit Bragg made his head- 
quarters, said to him, " General, what shall we do if 
the Yankees do get up here ?" " Oh ! never fear," 
was Bragg's reply, " they cannot reach the top ; every 
man of them wuU be killed before they get near it." 
"But," said the old lady to a Union officer, "he had 
hardly said so, when they came swarming up, and 
General Bragg and General Breckinridge had to ride 
for their lives." The top of the ridge was gained ; 
Fort Breckinridge, after a brief but sharp struggle, 
was captured ; and Bragg's army, routed, and abandon- 
ing all their artillery and most of their small-arms, fled, 
tumbled, and rolled down the eastern slope of the ridge. 
Instantly Sherman advanced and drove the rebels from 
Fort Buckner, while Hooker, who had been moving from 
the eastern slope of Lookout mountain since early morn- 
ing, and had ascended Mission Ridge some distance 
below, came upon Fort Bragg two miles beiow^ 

6* 



bb OrR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

and drove its garrison into the valley of the Chicka- 
maiiga. 

General Bragg was answered. The non-combatants 
were not removed from Chattanooga, and that redoubt- 
able general, partly from the loss of most of his cannon, 
and partly from the entire rout of his forces and their 
rapid retreat eastward, was unable to fulfil his threat of 
shelling the city. 

But General Grant had not yet done with General 
Bragg or his troops. On the morning of the 26th, 
long bef()re dawn, Davis's division of the fourteenth 
corps were in rapid pursuit of the retreating foe, and 
very soon after sunrise three corps, Hooker's, Palmer's, 
and Sherman's, were on their way, and, overtaking the 
rear of the enemy, drove them in confusion from 
Chickamauga depot, capturing and destroying large 
quantities of supplies and some cannon ; and thence 
pushing forward to Pigeon Ridge and Grays ville, still 
skirmishing wherever the rebels would make a stand, 
drove them eastward to Ringgold Gap, where they 
fought for a time desperately, having every advantage 
of position, but were eventually driven from the Gap 
and beyond Red Clay station on the Dalton and Cleve- 
land railroad ; and that railroad being destroyed, thus 
eventually cutting off all communication between Bragg 
and Longstreet, the pursuit was given over, and the shat- 
tered columns of Bragg's army were gathered at Dalton, 
where Bragg was at once displaced from command, and 
Hardee, and eventually J. E. Johnston, put at the head 
of the rebel army. 

Meantime, General Grant had directed General Sher- 
man, after pursuing the enemy a few miles, to turn north- 
ward, and, marching with all practicable speed, put him- 
self in communication with General Burnside and compel 



GENERAL GRANT. 67 

Longstreet to raise the siege of Knoxville. This was 
accomphshed, and Longstreet, who, enraged at having 
been outwitted, had dashed himself in vain against the 
defences of Knoxville, found himself compelled, on the 
4th of December, by the near approach of Sherman's 
army, to abandon the siege and retreat towards Vir- 
ginia, while both Foster's and Sherman's cavalry pur- 
sued. 

With this movement the campaign of Chattanooga 
closed, a campaign hardly less brilliant than that of 
Vicksburg, and one which paralyzed for months the 
rebel array in the Southwest. 

On the Vth of December it was announced that from 
the commencement of the war, up to that date, the 
armies under General Grant's particular command 
had captured four hundred and seventy-two cannon, 
ninety thousand prisoners, and more than a hundred 
thousand stand of small-arms. 

On the 8th of December the President of the United 
States sent the following dispatch to General Grant : 

Washington, Dec. 8, 1863. 
Major-General Grant: 

Understanding that your lodgment at Chattanooga 
and Knoxville is now secure, I wish to tender you, and 
all under your command, my more than thanks — my pro- 
foundest gratitude, for the skill, courage, and perse- 
verance with which you and they, over so great dif- 
ficulties, have effected that important object. God 
bless you all! 

A. LINCOLN. 

On the 10th of December, General Grant issued the 
following congratulatory order to the army under his 



6S OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

command. Its quiet, self-possessed, and appreciative 
tone, while they contrast favorably with the boastful 
character of some of the general orders of oflScers 
whose achievements were far less conspicuous than his, 
remind us forcibly of the orders of that other great 
commander, whom in so many traits of character he 
strikingly resembles, the Duke of Wellington, 



'PI,) 



Headquarters, Military Division of the Mississippi, 
IN the Field, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 

Dec. 10, 1863 

General Orders, No. 9. 

The general-commanding takes this opportunity of 
returning his sincere thanks and congratulations to the 
brave armies of the Cumberland, the Ohio, the Ten- 
nessee, and their comrades from the Potomac, for the 
recent splendid and decisive successes achieved over the 
enemy. In a short time you have recovered from him 
the control of the Tennessee river, from Bridgeport to 
Knoxville. You dislodged him from his great strong- 
hold upon Lookout mountain, drove him from Chatta- 
nooga valley, wrested from his determined grasp the 
possession of Missionary Ridge, repelled with heavy 
loss to him his repeated assaults upon Knoxville, forcing 
him to raise the siege there, driving him at all points, 
utterly routed and discomfited, beyond the limits of the 
State. By your noble heroism and determined courage 
you have most efi*ectually defeated the plans of the enemy 
for regaining possession of the States of Kentucky and 
Tennessee. You have secured positions from which no 
rebellious power can drive or dislodge you. For all tliis, 
the general-commanding thanks you, collectively and in- 
dividually. The loyal people of the United States thank 
and bless you. Their hopes and prayers for your sue- 



GENERAL GRANT. 



69 



cess against this unholy rebellion are with you daily. 
Their faith in you will not be in vain. Their hopes will 
not be blasted. Their prayers to Almighty God will be 
answered. You will yet go to other fields of strife ; 
and with the invincible bravery and unflinching loyalty 
to justice and right which have characterized you in the 
past, you will prove that no enemy can withstand you, 
and that no defences, however formidable, can check 
your onward march. 

By order of 

Maj.-Gen. U. S. GRANT. 
T. S. Bowers, A. A. G. 

The honors lavished upon General Grant for this and 
his previous successes, were not confined to the thanks 
sent him by the President. On the 17th of Dec, 1863, 
a joint resolution passed both houses of Congress, and 
received the Executive approval, which, in addition to 
the thanks of the national Legislature, provided for a 
gold medal, with suitable emblems, devices, and inscrip- 
tions, to be prepared and presented to General Grant. 
This token of a nation's grateful regard was designed by 
the artist Leutze. On one face of the medal was a pro- 
file likeness of the hero, surrounded by a wreath of 
laurels — his name and the year of his victories inscribed 
upon it ; and the whole surrounded by a galaxy of stars. 
The design for the obverse was the figure of Fame seated 
in a graceful attitude on the American Eagle, which with 
wings outspread seems about to take flight. In her right 
hand she holds her trumpet, and in her left a scroll on 
which are inscribed Corinth, Vicksburg, Mississippi riv- 
er, and Chattanooga. On her head is an Indian helmet 
with radiating feathers. In front of the eagle is the em- 
blematic shield of the United States. Below the group, 



70 OUR GEEAT CAPTAINS. 

sprigs of the pine and palm, denoting the North and 
South, cross each other. Above the figure of Fame in a 
curved hne is the motto, " Proclaim Liberty throughout 
the Land." The edge is surrounded by a circle of By- 
zantine stars, exceeding the number of the present States 
of the Union. Resolutions of thanks were also passed 
by the Legislatures of most of the loyal States ; and nu- 
merous costly presents (swords, pistols, &c.) were made 
by admiring friends. None of these honors, however, 
produced on the part of the recipient of them any ela- 
tion, or changed in the least the simplicity and modesty 
of his manners, or his earnest devotion to the work of 
putting down the rebellion. His health was not fully 
re-established, after the severe injuries he had received 
at New Orleans, but he toiled more continuously and 
patiently than any officer in the service. The communi- 
cations of his army with its bases at Nashville and Louis- 
ville, which had long been broken or in indifferent con- 
dition, must be put in the best order, and abundant 
stores accumulated at Chattanooga, Nashville, and 
Knoxville, for the coming campaign into the heart of 
Georgia. His men, worn down by short rations and 
severe labors, must be recruited by the best of care to 
the highest degree of efficiency, and withal there must 
be during the winter months a severe and crushing blow 
struck upon some vital point of the Confederacy in the 
Southwest. He had hoped to join in a co-operative 
movement with the Department of the Gulf on .riobile, 
but his plans in that direction were thwarted by some 
adverse influences. He then determined u^ on an expe- 
dition from Vicksburg eastward to r^ach Meridian, 
Miss., and, if possible, Selraa and Mcntgomery, Ala. ; 
this expedition to be joined at or near Meridian by a 
cavalry force dispatched simultaneously from Lagrange 



GENERAL GRANT. 71 

southward, and the two to traverse at will the central 
portions of Mississippi and Alabama. The enterprise 
was a bold and daring one ; the army which should un- 
dertake it must cut loose from their base, and obtain 
their subsistence mainly from the enemy's country — and 
this with a force of twenty or twenty-five thousand men 
was not an easy matter. The management and leader- 
ship of the principal column, which was to move east- 
ward from Yicksburg, he assigned to his tried and able 
lieutenant, General William T. Sherman, and the command 
of the cavalry co-operating force to his chief of cavalry, 
General W. Sooy Smith. The expedition started early in 
February, and penetrated as far as Meridian ; but the 
cavalry failing to join them, they advanced no further 
eastward, but returned to Vicksburg after an absence of 
a month. In consequence of this flxilure on the part of 
the cavalry to connect, which was not wholly their fault, 
the expedition did not produce all the results expected 
from it by General Grant ; but it greatly crippled the 
resources of the rebels, made their railroads worthless as 
communications, and by the alarm it awakened prevented 
the forces in the vicinity of the Gulf from joining John- 
ston, who had now succeeded Hardee in the command 
of the rebel army at Dalton. 

While this expedition was in progress General Grant 
was summoned to new and higher responsibilities. Con- 
gress resolved to revive the grade of Lieutenant-General; 
which had been conferred by brevet only, on General 
Scott, but as an actual rank in time of war had only been 
bestowed on General Washington ; and a law to that 
uflect having been passed, the. President at once con- 
ferred the commission on General Grant, and the Senate 
confirmed it. The conmiission bore date March 2d, 1864, 
and on the 9th of that month the President presented 



n 



ODE GREAT CAPTAINS. 



to him in person this commission, assuring him of his 
own hearty personal concurrence in the measure. General 
Grant replied very briefly, but evidently with deep feel- 
ing. On the 12th of March, the President, by official 
order, assigned to the lieutenant-general the command 
of the armies of the United States ; at the same time ap- 
pointing General W. T. Sherman commander of the grand 
military division of the Mississippi, which General Grant 
had previously commanded ; and General McPherson, an 
able and accomplished officer, to succeed General Sher- 
man in command of the Army of the Tennessee ; while 
General Halleck, hitherto general-in- chief, was relieved 
fi'om duty, and made chief of stafl" to the army, at 
Washington. 

Genei-al Grant had, in January, 1864, visited all parts 
of his command, the military division of the Mississippi, 
and carefully observed its condition, but his position as 
lieutenant-general required that he should spend some 
time in ascertaining the condition of the other Western 
departments, and that he should arrange with General 
Sherman the future movements of the spring and sum- 
mer campaign. This done, he returned as speedily as 
possible, and made every preparation for the coming 
campaign in Virginia. He purposed taking command in 
person of the forces destined to assail Richmond, though 
keeping a vigilant oversight of the movements in other 
parts of the country. General Sherman, with his mag- 
nificent force, composed of the three armies, of the Cum- 
berland, the Tennessee, and the Ohio, had been ordered 
to move, as nearly as possible, simultaneously wdth the 
armies in Virginia, so that there should be no reinforce- 
ments sent from one rebel army to the other, as there 
had been during the previous autumn. 

The force with which Grant took the field against 



GENERAL GRANT. YS 

Lee, was such a one as has seldom been under a single 
commander, or concentrated upon a single object. It 
consisted, in fact, of three armies; the Army of the 
Potomac, under the command of Major-General Meade, 
consisting of three corps of infantry recruited up to their 
full strength, and numbering each nearly fifty thousand 
men, with such corps-commanders as Hancock, Warren, 
and Sedgwick ; a cavalry corps of extraordinary ability, 
commanded by the gallant and fiery Sheridan, and a re- 
serve corps of about 40,000 men, one-third of them 
colored troops, under the command of the brave and 
trusty Burnside ; the Army of the James, under the 
command of Major-General Butler, composed of two 
corps, one that was hitherto known as the Army of 
Eastern Virginia and North Carolina, the other a fine 
corps, partly composed of colored troops, under the com- 
mand of General Gilmore, hitherto forming a part of the 
Army of the Department of the South ; and the Army of 
the Shenandoah, commanded by Major-General Franz 
Sigel, and composed of the Army of Western Virginia, 
under General Crooks, and to which was subsequently 
added the Nineteenth army corps, formerly from the 
Department of the Gulf, commanded by General Emory, 
and with these a considerable cavalry force. But, though 
seeking the accomplishment of a common object — the 
reduction of Richmond — these armies were moving from 
difierent points, and over difierent fields, to effect it. 
Lee's forces lay south of the Rapidan, stretching east- 
ward from Orange Court-house, and his cavalry guard- 
ing his left flank towards Gordonsville, and his right near 
Chancellorsville. The Army of the Potomac, which for 
months had been confronting him, lay north of the Rap- 
idan, its headquarters being at Culpepper Court-house, 
and its camps extending from Brandy Station to Robert- 

V / 



74 GUK GREAT CAPTAINS. 

son's river. To this army was assigned the opening of 
the conflict, and the miglity task of driving back Lee's 
vast force, which possessed the advantage of interior 
lines. The Army of the James had for its first duty the 
seizing, by an adroitly executed feint, the position at 
Bermuda Hundred, lying on the south or right bank of 
the James, nearly midway between Richmond and 
Petersburg ; and, if it should prove practicable, the in- 
terposition of a sufficient force permanently between 
Richmond and Petersburg, and the capture of the latter 
city. The Array of the Shenandoah, though not at first 
existing under that title, had for its first mission a move- 
ment upon Staunton, Waynesboro, and Lynchburg, with 
the intent of crippling the resources and effectually cut- 
ting oif the supplies of Lee's army from the West, and 
at the same time guarding against any sudden move- 
ment of a rebel force down the Valley of the Shenan- 
doah, and into Maryland and Pennsylvania. 

Every thing being thus prepared, the order was given 
on the night of May 3d, for the army of the Potomac to 
break up camp, and on the morning of the 4th, the three 
corps crossed the Rapidan, the Second corps (Han- 
cock's) in front, crossing at Ely's ford, the Fifth (War- 
ren's) and the Sixth (Sedgwick's) immediately following, 
crossing at Gerraanna ford. This movement, which 
aimed at flanking Lee's riglit, as his army were strongly 
intrenched at Mine run, was at once observed by General 
Lee, who, with his usual promptness, made a counter 
movement to match it. From a short distance south of 
Germanna ford, eastward to and beyond Chancellorsville, 
stretches a tract of dense, tangled forest and undergrowth, 
fifteen or twenty miles in length and about five miles 
wide, traversed by few and indiff'erent roads, known as 
the "Wilderness." It was in the eastern part of this 



GKNEKAL GRANT. T5 

that the battle of Chancellorsville was foaght, in May, 
1863. Into this desolate and difficult region the army of 
the Potomac phmged, almost immediately on crossing the 
Rapidan ; and against their line, at right angles, between 
the Fifth and Sixth corps, Lee flung Longstreet's corps, 
on Thursday, May 5th, before they had had the oppor- 
tunity of getting into position, and while they were yet 
embarrassed by the dense and tangled undergrowth of 
the forest. The weight of the first attack fell on Sedg- 
wick's corps, which, though losing heavily, succeeded ''ri 
holding its own. Drawing back momentarily. Long- 
street returned to the attack with still greater despera- 
tion, and at first seemed to be carrying all before him, 
but Sedgwick's veterans would not yield, and the enemy, 
sorely disappointed, withdrew ; then a fresh force was 
hurled against the centre (Warren's corps), but, though 
gaining a temporary advantage, was finally foiled, and 
beaten back. The battle lasted far into the night, but 
with indecisive results. At 4 o'clock, a. m., on Friday, 
6th of May, Lee renewed the attack, again massing his 
force, and attempting to break through the right and 
centre : the attack was repulsed, and by 6 a. m., Han- 
cock commenced driving the rebels, who fell back to a 
high ridge, with a marsh in front, — a position they had 
previously fortified. Through the day the fighting was 
terribly severe, each party in turn gaining some slight 
success, though at the expense of terrible slaughter* 
Towards dark an attack was made on the extreme right 
of the Union lines, and they were turned, and the right 
completely flanked. General Grant showed his military 
skill and fertility of resources by extending his left and 
centre, which were still firm, southward, and bringing 
his right into a new position, changing his base mean- 
while to Fredericksburg and the Rappahannock. He 



Y6 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

thus flanked Lee in turn/ and out of threatened defeat 
evoked success. He had also gained another advantage, 
in getting out of the Wilderness into a more open 
country, where he could use his artillery with greater 
effect. Moreover, Burnside, with a part of the reserves, 
had come up in season to take part in the fight of Friday 
afternoon. An advance at daybreak on Saturday (May 
7th) showed that Lee had fallen back. Grant pursued 
vigorously, and came upon him near Spottsylvania Court- 
house, where he had taken a new and very strong po- 
sition. On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday there was 
some sharp fighting, but without any decisive result. 
On Wednesday the fighting was more severe, but still 
without marked result. On Wednesday night (11th), 
General Grant directed Hancock's (Second) corps to be 
transferred to the left, taking up a position between 
Sedgwick's (Sixth) and Burnside's (Ninth) corps. This 
movement was made for the purpose of turning the 
enemy's right, and at the same time forcing them further 
from their connections with Richmond. At half-past 
4 A. M., on the 12th, the Second corps (Hancock's) 
moved on the enemy in a most terrible bayonet-charge, 
which proved a perfect surprise to the rebels, winning the 
day, capturing thirty heavy guns, and over four thousand 
prisoners, including two generals. The Fifth and Ninth 
corps also made successful charges. This was the first 
great success of the campaign, and it rendered the rebels 
desperate ; they made repeated and obstinate charges in 
the attempt to retake the positions captured by Han- 
cock, continuing their struggles, though at terrible cost, 
till 3 o'clock on Friday morning. On Friday, Lee re- 
formed his lines, moving further to the right, and Grant 
kept pace with him. On Friday night the rebels at- 
tacked the Fifth corps (Warren's), but were repulsed 



GENERAL GKANT. 77 

with severe loss. From the 12th to the 18th of May 
there was a lull in the fighting, both armies resting, and 
receiving large reinforcements. On the 18th, Genei-al 
Hancock attacked the right flank of the rebels, and 
gained two lines of his intrenchments. Burnside was also 
engaged the same day, but without decisive result. Gen- 
eral Grant had already planned another flanking move- 
ment, by way of Guiney's station, to Milford bridge, 
which occupied the next three days, and which was suc- 
cessfully executed, except some loss of wagons and am- 
bulances, from an attack of Ewell. Lee meantime had 
moved and occupied a strong position between the North 
and South Anna. After some hard fighting, in which 
the Union troops reaped partial success. General Grant 
found their position too strong for direct attack, and 
again prepared to make a flank movement. Ordering 
the army to recross the North Anna, and making an at- 
tack with his right wing, to cover the movement, he 
burnt the bridge of the Virginia Central railroad, 
rapidly crossed the Pamunkey, and on the 31st of May 
had his entire army across the Pamunkey, and within 
fifteen miles of Richmond. Here again he found Lee 
ready to receive him, and, with reinforcements received 
from the Shenandoah valley, presented a full front. For 
two or three days there was cavalry fighting and skir- 
mishing, but no general engagement. On the first of 
June the Sixth corps took up a strong position near 
Cold Harbor, where they were joined by a force under 
General W. F. Smith, detached from the army of the 
James. Here, on the third of June, a stubborn and 
desperate battle was fought, which resulted in the pos- 
session of Cold Harbor by the Union forces. The same 
day the Union troops attacked the rebel position, and a 
bloody and protracted engagement followed, but they 

7* 



78 OUR GKKAT CAPTAINS. 

failed to carry the rebel works. Finding that to dis- 
lodge the enemy from his position by direct attack 
would require too great a sacrifice of Hfe, General Grant 
now determined on the bold measure of crossing the 
James river, and making his attack on Richmond from 
that side. This movement was made in the face of the 
enemy, though without his knowledge, in three days, 
viz., from the 12th to the 15th of June. 

General Butler had meantime been executing his part 
of the programme with great skill. He had occupied 
Bermuda Hundred, and fortified his position there ; had 
cut the railroad below Petersburg, and made a dash 
upon that city, but had not succeeded in capturing it ; 
had laid siege to Fort Darling, but had been unable to 
hold his position against the rebel force ; had repelled 
the rebel attacks upon his lines, and was in position to 
welcome the approach of the army of the Potomac, and 
render it valuable assistance. The army of West Vir- 
ginia, under General Sigel, had been less successful. On 
the 15th of May he encountered a considerable rebel 
force at Reed's hill, near Mount Jackson, in the valley 
of the Shenandoah, and was se,verely handled. He was 
then relieved of command, and succeeded by General 
Hunter, who at first met with better fortune. He de- 
feated General Sam Jones, near Staunton, and killed 
him; took 1,500 prisoners and several guns, driving the 
rebels to Waynesboro. On the 8th he formd a junction 
with Crook and Averill; and, while General Sheridan 
moved towards Gordonsville, and defeated the rebels at 
Trevilian station. Hunter pressed on towards Lynchburg 
destroying railroads and bridges on his way, but finding 
it strongly defended did not venture to attack, and Early 
marching against him, in turn, with a large force, re- 
treated into the mountains, and made a forced march 



GENERAL GRANT. 79 

into Western Virginia. On this march his army suffered 
terribly, and he lost heavily in guns and wagons. 

Sheridan, meantime, had made his famous raid around 
Lee's lines, destroying railroads, trains, depots of sup- 
plies, releasing our prisoners, and capturing many of the 
enemy. He penetrated within the first line of works 
around Richmond, and having cut all Lee's communica- 
tions, reached Butler's headquarters in safety, five days 
after starting. 

The rebel General Early, finding himself unopposed, 
extended his expedition down the Shenandoah, crossed 
into Maryland, occupied Hagerstown and Frederick, 
and plundered extensively, fought two or three battles 
with the militia, which had been called out to oppose 
him, threatened Baltimore and Washington, approach- 
ing within two miles of the latter city, but finding that 
the Nineteenth corps, from New Orleans, and the Sixth, 
from the Army of the Potomac, were ready to attack 
him, and that General Couch, from Pennsylvania, was 
threatening his rear, he hastened back into Virginia, 
taking with him most of his plunder. 

Genei'al Grant, having reached the south side of the 
James, ordered an immediate attack on Petersburg. 
This would probably have proved successful but for the 
lack of co-operation on the part of the cavalry force, 
throug^h some misunderstandins^. A series of attacks 
were made upon the rebel works, and by the 2 2d of 
June the city was invested, except on the north and 
west. There was sharp fighting that day for the posses 
sion of the Petersburg and Danville or South side railroad, 
which was finally held by the Union troops. Meantime, 
an extensive raid was made by Wilson and Kautz's 
cavalry upon the Weldon raib'oad, several miles of which 
they destroyed, together with stores, &g. Before they 



80 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

could reach our lines, bowever, they were surrounded 
by a large rebel force, and lost seven or eight hundred 
men. After an interval of comparative quiet, during 
which General Grant had succeeded in running a mine 
nearly under the confederate fortifications, he ordered a 
feint to be made on the north side of the James, to 
divert General Lee's attention from an assault which he 
purposed making on Petersburg at the time of exploding 
the mine. The feint, better known as the action of 
Strawberry Plains, was successful in turning the enemy's 
left, and capturing four heavy guns. On the 30th of 
July the mine, which was charged with eight tons of 
powder, was exploded, and the assault commenced. 
There was a disagreement between the commanders, and 
fatal delays occurred, which permitted the rebels to re- 
cover flf-om their first panic, and make efi'ectual resist- 
ance, and the movement failed of success, and entailed 
heavy losses upon the troops engaged in it. Not dis- 
heartened by this failure. General Grant continued his 
operations with renewed energy. The battle of Deep 
Bottom, on the north side of the James, occurred on the 
12th of August. The Second corps alone was engaged, 
and dislodged the enemy from his position, taking 500 
prisoners, six cannon, and two mortars. On the IStli of 
August, the Fifth corps (Warren's) moved on Reams 
station, on the Weldon railroad, surprised the rebel 
force guarding it, and took possession of the road. On 
the 19th a large rebel force attacked Warren with great 
impetuosity, and breaking the right centre. The Union 
-troops rallied, however, and being reinfored by two di- 
visions of the Ninth corps, retrieved measurably the for- 
tunes of the day, holding a part of the road, though with 
a loss of nearly 4,000 men. 

During the next five weeks there were no movements 



GENERAL GRANT. 81 

of great importance in the vicinity of Richmond or 
Petersburg, though a little advance had been made by- 
occasional attacks upon the enemy's lines. On the night 
of the 28th September, General Ord crossed the James 
to the north side, and early on the morning of the 29th 
advanced on the intrenchments at Chaffin's farm, and 
carried them without serious loss, capturing nearly 300 
prisoners and fifteen pieces of artillery. General Birney, 
at the same time, moved up the Newmarket road, and 
carried the intrenchments there with perfect ease. The 
Union forces then took possession of Fort Harrison, and 
advanced as far as Laurel Hill. On the 30th, the rebels 
made a desperate effort to capture Fort Harrison, but 
failed, and the Union cavalry, on the 1st of October, 
made a reconnoissance within less than two miles of Rich- 
mond. On the 7th of October, the rebels attempted to 
turn the right flank of the army of the James, but after 
some temporary success and some sharp fighting they 
were severely repulsed. On the 29th of October, Gen- 
eral Grant ordered a reconnoissance in force against the 
rebel position at Hatcher's run. A severe battle ensued, 
with considerable loss on the part of the Union troops, 
but the position was held until General Grant ordered 
their withdrawal. 

Dissatisfied with the inefficiency which had existed in 
the Shenandoah valley, and Northern Virginia and Mary- 
land, General Grant advised, in August, the organiza- 
tion of a new and larger department, to be called the 
Department of the Slienandoah, and the appointment of 
Major-General Philip H. Sheridan to its command. This 
'was done, and after careful watching of the enemy for 
some time, General Sheiidan decided that the time for 
action had come. He had at this time under his com- 
mand the Army of Western Virginia, and the Sixth and 



82 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

Nineteenth corps. On the 19th of September was fought the 
battle known as that of Oqeqnan creek, in which, after 
a sharp contest, General Sheridan, by a brilliant cavalry 
charge, drove Early's army from the field in confusion, 
capturing over 2,000 prisoners and a large number of 
guns. On the 22d he attacked them again at Fisher's 
Hill, routing them completely, capturing their artillery, 
horses, and ammunition, and pursued them as far as 
Staunton, causing them a loss in the two engagements 
of over 10,000 men. On the 9th, the rebel General 
Rosser attacked Sheridan again at Fisher's Hill, but was 
grievously defeated. On the 19th of October, General 
Early attacked the Union forces again, when General 
Sheridan was absent, and in the morning defeated it, 
driving the Union troops three miles, and taking twenty- 
four cannon ; but Sheridan coming up, rallied his men, 
reformed them, and defeated the rebels in turn, utterly 
routing them, capturing fifty-four pieces of artillery, in- 
cluding all his own. 

General Sherman had fulfilled, in the most brilliant 
manner, the work assigned to him. After a campaign 
of extraordinary vigor and many hard-fought battles, he 
took possession of Atlanta on the 2d of September. Hood, 
who was in command of the rebel force, rallying from 
his severe defeats, attempted to cut Sherman's lines of 
communication with his base ; and Sherman giving him, 
for good reasons, every facility" of doing so, sent General 
Thomas with two corps to the Tennessee river to look 
after Hood, who was by this time in Alabama, and then 
tearing up the railroad between Atlanta and Chatta- 
nooga, and cutting loose from his base, started with a 
large force across the country, nearly three hundred 
miles, to Savannah, which was surrendered to him on 
the 2 2d of December. 



GENERAL GRANT. 8b 

Meantime, Hood rashly pushed on after Thomas, whose 
instructions were to draw him on, and after fighting a 
severe battle at Franklin, on the 30th of November, in 
which he lost in killed, w^ounded, and prisoners, eighteen 
generals and about Y,000 of his troops, attempted to in- 
vest Nashville; but on the 15th of December General 
Thomas attacked and routed him completely, pursuing 
him to the Tennessee river. Hood's losses were about 
17,000 men in these two engagements. 

An expedition was planned late in the season by 
General Grant against Wilmington, and sailed on the 
13tli of December from Hampton roads, under the com- 
mand of General Butler, accompanied by a naval squad- 
ron under Rear- Admiral Porter. This expedition was 
unsuccessful, and the troops returned to City Point ; but 
soon after, a second expedition, under the command of 
General A. H. Terry, embarked for the same destina- 
tion, and on the 15th of January captured Fort Fisher, 
and effectually sealed the harbor of Wilmington. On 
the 6th of February, General Grant ordered another 
movement with four corps of the army to Hatcher's 
Run, with the intention of establishing his lines in closer 
proximity to the Weldon railroad. The struggle was a 
desperate one, and on the second day the enemy was 
successful, as before, in finding a gap in the Union lines, 
through which he broke, causing a considerable loss ; but 
the Union soldiers were able the next day to regain the 
ground they had lost and hold it, and established them- 
selves permanently four miles in advance of their pre- 
vious position. On the 25th of March the rebels, by a 
sudden attack in mass, seized Fort Steadman, near Pe- 
tersburg, and captured the garrison; but the Union 
troops rallying promptly, retook the fort, and drove the 
rebels back into and beyond their lines, and the Sixth 



84 OrK GREAT CAPTAINS. 

and Second corps advancing at the same time, gained 
and held a portion of their lines. The Union loss in this 
affair was about 2,000, that of the rebels over 6,000, of 
whom 2,800 were prisoners. 

On the 29th of March, the Union army was, by Gen- 
eral Grant's order, put in motion, with a view to occupy 
ing the Southside Railroad. For this purpose, he or 
dered General Sheridan, on the 29th of March, to move 
with his cavalry force, returned three days before from 
the great raid, by way of Reams' Station to Dinwiddle 
Courthouse, and, threatening the Southside Railroad in 
the direction of Burkesville Junction, compel Lee to 
send a force westward to protect it, and the Second and 
Fifth corps, as in the previous attacks upon the line of 
the Southside Railroad, to cross by the Vaughan and 
Halifax roads, Hatcher's Run, and endeavor to gain pos- 
session of the Boydton plank-road. The movement was 
on a larger scale than any previous one ; and the weak- 
ness of the enemy, as developed in the Fort Stedman 
affair, gave promise of success. Portions of the Twenty- 
fourth and Twenty-fifth corps, under command of Gen- 
eral Ord, were brought aci'oss the river, and stationed 
along the line of the Vaughan road to maintain the con- 
nection between the Sixth and Second corps, in full 
strength. The first day the movements were all suc- 
cessful. The cavalry reached Dinwiddle; the Fifth 
corps had a sharp fight for the possession of the Quaker 
road, but drove back the enemy ; the Second corps had 
very little fighting. The 30th of March also passed 
without serious fighting, and the Fifth corps had taken 
position on the White Oak road and the Boydton plank- 
road, the Second corps being near and within supporting 
distance. On the 31st, the Fifth corps, attempting to ad- 
vance on the White Oak road, towards Five Forks. 



86 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

where the enemy were intrenched in large force, was 
met and attacked by a heavy body of rebel troops, and 
Crawford's and Ayres' divisions driven back in disorder 
to the Boydton plank-road, where GrifRn's division still 
held its position. Meantime Miles's division of the Sec- 
ond corps, witnessing the rapid retreat, moved forward 
promptly, and striking the enemy in flank drove them 
back ; and Griflan, with so much of Ayres' and Craw- 
ford's divisions as could be rallied, following and attack- 
ing the rebels, forced them back, till at nightfall the 
Fifth corps occupied nearly the same position as in the 
morning. But this temporary repulse had opened a 
passage through which another division of the rebel 
forces flung themselves with great fury upon Sheridan's 
cavalry, cutting ofi*for a time Merritt's division from the 
remainder of the cavalry, and imperiUing the whole. 
General Sheridan, however, took the command in per- 
son, and rallying his troops, and placing them dismounted 
behind temporary barricades, succeeded in repulsing the 
attacks of the rebels, and compelling them to desist. 
When it was too dark for longer fighting both forces 
bivouacked on their arms, within a few hundred yards 
of each other. 

The commander of the Fifth corps. General G. K. 
Warren, had been ordered to report to General Sheridan 
at midnight, March 31st, and General Grant had notified 
General Sheridan that he would do so. The cavalry 
commander^was anxious for his assistance early, as lie 
had made up his mind to defeat the rebels before him, 
and driving them westward to carry Five Forks by as- 
sault, the next day. As he did not appear, General 
Siieridan addressed him a note, dated 3 A.M.April 1st, 
requesting him to attack the rebel force, then in his 
front, in the rear at daylight, aiid he would attack them 



GENERAL GRANT. 



8Y 



m front at the same time. General Warren made no an- 
swer, but did not attack. Sheridan, however, assailed 
them at the time appointed, and drove them west o^^ 
Chamberlain's Creek, and between 7 and 8 o'clock found 
Warren near J. Boisseau's house, four or five miles north 
of Dinwiddle. He now directed him to be ready to 
move on the enemy when he should receive orders, 
and himself proceeded to invest Five Forks on two 
sides with his cavalry, and a little after noon ordered 
up the Fifth corps to attack on the east side. General 
Warren moved with apparent reluctance, and infused no 
confidence into his men ; and though the intrenchments 
were finally carried, and the enemy routed and driven 
westward. General Sheridan was so much dissatisfied 
with General Warren that he relieved him of his com- 
mand, as General Grant had authorized him to do, and 
put General Grifiin in his place. The next day the ene- 
my were driven by Miles' division of the Second corps, 
and Crawford's and Ayres' of the Fifth, from a strong 
position which tliey held at the junction of the White 
Oak and Claiborne roads, and pursued to Sutherland's 
Station on the Southside Railroad, and thence by a front 
and rear attack to the river road along the banks of the 
Appomattox. 

Meantime the troops which manned the lines around 
Petersburg had kept up a frequent and heavy bombard- 
ment along the lines, and on the 2d of April the Sixth 
and Ninth corps and the provisional corps assaulted the 
fortifications with great fury, and after a short but se- 
vere struggle broke through to the Soutliside Railroad, 
and commenced tearing it up. They captured many 
prisoners and guns in this bold assault, and of course 
rendered both Richmond and Petersburg untenable. 
During the night both were evacuated, and were occn* 



88 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

pied on the moi-ning of the 3d of April by Union 
troops. 

Not delaying to enter the captured cities, General 
Grant pressed on to capture the rebel general and his 
army. The pursuit was unremitting, and after actions 
of greater or less extent at Deep Creek, Paine's Cross- 
roads, Deatonsville, Farmville, and High Bridge over 
the Appomattox, and Appomattox Station, the rebels 
leaving at each point artillery, wagons, and sup- 
plies, on the 9th of April General Lee surrendered his 
army to General Grant. The terms granted by the con- 
queror were liberal in the extreme. They were as fol- 
lows : 

"Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in dupli- 
cate ; one copy to be given to an officer designated by 
General Grant, the other to be retained by such officers 
as General Lee should designate. The officers to give 
their individual paroles not to take arms against the 
United States until properly exchanged, and each com- 
pany or regimental commander to sign a like parole for 
the men of their commands. The arms, artillery, and 
public property to be packed and stacked, and turned 
over to the officer appointed by General Grant to re- 
ceive them. This not to embrace the side-arms of the 
officers, nor their private horses or baggage. This done, 
each officer and man to be allowed to return to their 
homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority 
so long as they observe their parole and the laws in force 
where they may reside." 

The surrender perfected, though its provisions were 
much abused, General Grant passed through Richmond, 
and thence to Washington, whence on the evening of 
April 14th he took the train for Philadelphia to visit his 
family, and while on his way was overtaken by the sad 



GENERAL GRANT. 



89 



intelligence of the assassination of the President, and re- 
turned immediately to the capital. 

Meanwhile, with that comprehensive grasp of mind 
w^hich characterizes hira, and that admirable perception 
of character which has always enabled him, when the 
choice was his, to select the men best adapted for carry- 
ing out his plans. General Grant had been directing, i:: 
other quarters of the vast territory of the Union, impor- 
tant movements, all tending to the one end of crushing 
the rebellion. Under his suggestion, General Sherman 
had made his famous campaign of sixty days in the Caro- 
linas, flanking Charleston and compelling its surrender, 
capturing Columbia, Cheraw, Fayetteville, and, in con- 
cert with Schotield and Terry (who had joined him after 
capturing the city of Wilmington), Goldsborough ; and 
having, after a fortnight's delay to recruit, moved for- 
ward, had added Smithfield and Raleigh to his captures, 
and held Johnston in a position where he must surrender. 
At the West, General Thomas had sent a magnificent 
cavalry force under General Wilson to capture Selma, 
Montgomery, Columbus, Ga., West Point, Macon, etc. ; 
an infantry force to aid General Canby in the Depart- 
ment of the Gulf; Schofield and the Army of the Ohio 
to assist in the reduction of Wilmington ; and finally, 
Stoneman, with a large body of cavalry, through South- 
west Virginia and Western North Carolina, to attack 
Johnston and Lee in the rear ; and this force, having 
thoroughly broken the Virginia and East Tennessee 
Railroad, had struck the North Carolina Railroad above 
Salisbury, captured that place with all its stores, released 
its prisoners, and efiectually barred Johnston's further 
retreat. In the Southwest, General Canby, acting under 
his direction, in concert with the fleet under Admiral 
H. K. Thatcher, had, after a siege of about two weeks, 



9(; OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

captui-ed Spanish Fort, Blakely, and Mobile, the surren 
der being made on the 12th of April. 

The last sad funeral rites for the martyred President 
were hardly passed, when a special messenger from Gen- 
eral Sherman brought to Washington a memorandum 
for a treaty between the rebel General Johnston and 
himself, for a complete cessation of hostiUties and surren- 
der by all the armies of the rebels. A Cabinet meeting 
was called, and although the consummation was greatly 
to be desired, the terms of the memorandum were found 
objectionable, and it was disapproved. Convinced that 
General Sherman's error was not the result of ambition 
or disloyalty, but only of his earnest desire to see the 
war ended. General Grant went immediately to Raleigh, 
incog.^ and after consultation with General Sherman, 
finding Johnston desirous of surrendering on the terms 
which he had granted to Lee, directed General Sherman 
to make those terms to the rebel general, and accept the 
surrender without any reference to his presence. This 
matter settled, he returned to Washington, where a few 
days later he received the intelligence of the capture of 
the rebel President. After flying visits to New York, 
West Point, Chicago, etc., he has returned to the abun- 
dant and wearisome, though necessary labors attending 
the reduction of the army and the return of peace. 

In person General Grant is rather below the middle 
size, but of firm, well-knit figure, with a pleasant counte- 
nance, a firmly-set mouth and chin, clear gray eyes, brown 
hair, and a full beard, inclined to auburn. He smokes 
almost incessantly ; is quiet, reticent, thoughtful, yet quick 
and prompt in action. There is not a particle of jeal- 
ousy in his composition. He accords most heartily to 
his lieutenants all the honors they can claim, and even 
turns honors meant for himself upon them. A man ot 



GENERAL GEANT. 



91 



less real greatness and magnanimity, placed in his position, 
would have winced under the encomiums showered upon 
Sherman and Sheridan, especially when comparisons not 
in his favor were drawn, as they have been ; but he only 
honors these brave generals the more. His resolute, un- 
yielding determination and perseverance is a marked fea- 
ture of his character. Even his wife says, " Mr. Grant 
is a very obstinate man," though she would not for the 
world have him one whit less obstinate. He has never 
yet, under any circumstances, been drawn or driven into 
making a speech, and seldom writes a long letter, though 
he can write, as his reports prove, with great force and 
clearness. The " wise man" assures us that " greater is 
he that ruleth his own spirit than he that taketh a city." 
While Lieutenant-General Grant has no mean reputation 
as a captor of cities, he is eminently entitled to Solomon's 
encomium for that extraordinary self-command which, 
under all the trying circumstances in which he has been 
placed, has enabled him to remain calm and imperturbed, 
never falling into a passion, never lifted into excitement 
or exultation. In this particular he surpasses Washing- 
ton, and stands far above most of the great captains of 
the Old World. A man thus self-poised, brave, loyal, 
truthful and pure, may well command the armies of the 
mightiest of Republics, for he will make no evil use of 
his authority, and the heart of the nation doth safely 
trust in him. 



IL 

Major-General William Tecuraseh Sherman* 

If it be one of the attributes of genius to rise superior 
to the most adverse circumstances, and triumphing over 
detraction, depreciation, and abuse, to secure to itself a 
high place in the records of history, then it must be ad- 
mitted that General Sherman has given no doubtful 
proof of the possession of a high order of genius. The 
sacrifices which his loyalty had prompted him to make 
were not appreciated ; his warnings of the magnitude of 
the Rebellion fell on inattentive ears, and were regarded 
as the apprehensions of a distempered imagination ; his 
estimate of the force necessary for the successful prose- 
cution of the war at the West, though since proved to 
have been within the bounds of strict moderation, were 
then considered as the ravings of a melancholic mad- 
man ; and the press — the great engine of power in this 
country — having been offended in the person of some of 
its baser members, by the strictness of General Sherman's 
discipline, undertook, with full confidence, the work of 
writing him down. Thenceforward, for many months, 
he was persistently represented as the " crazy general," 
" the madman," the " lunatic ;" as incapable, by reason 
of his mad fantasies, of any successful mihtary operation, 
or of commanding any considerable body of men. But, 
like " Banquo's ghost," Sherman would not stay down. 
His zeal, loyalty, and success constantly contradicted 
the misrepresentations of his enemies, and the fiercer 
their maledictions, the more he displayed the resources 



94: OUK GREAT CAPTAINS. 

and abilities of a successful commander. Through all 
this period of bitter misrepresentation, one man defended 
liim, believed in him, trusted him, and insisted on his ad- 
vancement. That man was the present Lieutenant-Gen- 
eral U. S. Grant. Never for a moment did he lose his 
confidence in his abilities and genius; and, with that fine 
discrimination of character which is a marked trait in 
his character, he insisted, at every step of promotion 
conferred upon himself, on advancing General Sherman 
also, let who might oppose. At length, after moi'e than 
two years' endurance, the storm of detraction began to 
cease, and ere long those who had been most virulent, 
finding that they were powerless to injure him, became 
his most vehement admirers, until now, it would be hard 
to find any who would acknowledge that they had ever 
spoken disparagingly of one who has proved his claim 
to be reckoned among the ablest generals of modern 
times. 

William Tecumseh Sherman, a son of the late Hon. 
Charles R. Sherman, for som-e. years one of the judges 
of the Supreme Court of Ohio, and brother of Hon. 
John Sherman, U. S. Senator from Ohio, was born in 
Lancaster, Ohio, February 8th, 1820. His education, up 
to his ninth year, was obtained in the schools of his 
native town; but on his father's death, in 1829, he be- 
came a member of the family of Hon. Thomas Ewing, 
and after enjoying the advantages of good schools, at 
the age of sixteen entered the Military Academy at 
West Point, being a classmate of Generals George H. 
Thomas and W. Hays of the Union army, and of Gen- 
erals Ewell, McCown, and Bushrod R. Johnson of the 
rebel army. He graduated June 30, 1840, ranking 
sixth in his class, and was immediately appointed second 
lieutenant in the Third Artillery, and ordered to duty in 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 95 

Florida, where he served through the next year. In 
November, 1841, he was promoted to a first-lieutenancy. 
His service in Florida was enlivened by some encounters 
with Billy Bowlegs' band, in one of which he achieved 
some distinction in rescuing his little squad of men from 
the utter destruction with which that wily savage had 
threatened thera. Late in the year. Lieutenant Sherman 
was ordered to Fort Moultrie, Charleston harbor, where 
he remained for several years. 

Li 1846 he was sent to California, w^here he was made 
acting assistant adjutant-general, and performed his 
duties with such marked ability, that, in 1851, Congress 
conferred upon him the brevet of captain, to date from 
May 30th, 1848, "for meritorious services in California, 
during the war with Mexico." Li 1850 he was pro- 
moted to the rank of captain, and made commissary 
of subsistence, being assigned to the staif of the 
commander of the Department of the West, with head- 
quarters at St. Louis. He married, the same year, 
the daughter of his friend, Hon. Thomas Ewing. Soon 
after, he was transferred to the military post of New 
Orleans, where he became acquainted with the leading 
men of Louisiana. In 1853, he resigned his commission 
in the army, and -removed the same year to San Fran- 
cisco, where he was for four years the manager of the 
banking house of Lucas, Turner &> Co. 

In 1857, some of his friends in Louisiana, secretly, as 
it afterwards appeared, making preparation for a seces- 
sion movement, resolved to establish a State Military 
Academy, and sought to secure his services as president 
and superintendent. Their real object was carefully con- 
cealed, and the reasons given for its establishment were, 
that it would enable them more readily to suppress any 
insurrection among the slaves ; that it would be of ser- 



90 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

vice in preparing them to repel Indian incursions, which 
were giving trouble in the adjacent States of Arkansas 
and Texas ; that it would give them a nucleus for a mil- 
itary force in case of an attack by a foreign enemy, or 
should the acquisition of Mexico become desirable. By 
such plausible arguments, Mr. Sherman was induced to 
accept the presidency of the Louisiana Military Academy, 
without a suspicion of the treasonable purpose which had 
led to its establishment. He entered upon his duties 
early in 1858. 

Soon after the cpmmencement of the presidential cam- 
paign of 1860, he became convinced of the disloyal sen- 
timents of a majority of the leading men of the State, 
and of the motives which had led them to estabhsh the 
Military Academy, and they put forth their utmost 
powers of persuasion to induce him to unite with them 
in their revolutionary schemes. The thoroughness with 
which he had trained his pupils, and his cool, calm, sol- 
dierly bearing, had convinced them of his value to their 
cause if he could once be induced to join it. For this 
purpose they unfolded their plans, and sought by the 
offer of high military position to win him from his alle- 
giance. It was all in vain. Manly, honest, straight- 
forward, and thoroughly loyal, neither the love of gold 
or fame could cause him to swerve for an instant from 
his duty to his country. Convinced that war was in- 
evitable, he dispatched the following letter to the chief 
magistrate of Louisiana on the day of its date ; 



Januabt 18, 1861. 
Governor Thomas O. Moore, 

Baton Rouge, La. 

Sir — As I occupy a qiiasi-militsiYy position under 
this State, I deem it proper to acquaint you that I ac- 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 97 

cepted such position when Louisiana was a State in the 
Union, and when the motto of the seminary was inserted 
in mai'We over the main door, "-2?y ^^^ liberality of the 
General Government of the United States. The Union., 
Esto Ferpetua:'' Recent events foreshadow a great 
change, and it becomes all men to choose. If Louisiana 
withdraws fiom the Federal Union, Z prefer to maintain 
my allegiance to the old Constitution as long as a frag- 
ment of it survives, and my longer stay here would be 
wrong in every sense of the word. In that event, I beg 
you will send or appoint some authorized agent to take 
charge of the arms and munitions of war here belonging 
to the State, or direct me what disposition should be 
made of them. And furthermore, as President of the 
Board of Supervisors, I beg you to take immediate steps 
to relieve me as Suj^erintendent, the moment the State 
determines to secede ; for on no earthly account wdll I 
do any act, or think any thought, hostile to or in de- 
fiance of the old Government of the United States. 
With great respect, <fcc., 

(Signed) W. T. SHERMAN. 

There spoke the true hero and patriot, " On no earthly 
account will I do any act, or think any thought, hostile 
to or in defiance of the old Government of the United 
States." The same principle has actuated him in all his 
subsequent career. Other generals, both in the East 
and the West, have been suspected of disloyal leanings; 
but even the bitterest detractors of General Sherman 
have never dared to whisper the slightest hint of dis- 
loyalty in connection with his name. 

His resignation was accepted, for what could the 
rebels do with a man who was so thoroughly and deter- 
minedly loyal? He removed in February with his 

9 



98 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

family to St. Louis, and shortly before the attack on 
Fort Sumter visited Washington. Here he found, to 
use his own language, that " the men in authority were 
sleeping on a volcano, which would surely burst upon 
them unprepared." Thoroughly conversant as he was 
with the intentions and plans of the leaders of the rebel- 
lion, lie was astonished at the apathy and incredulity of 
the Government on the subject. None of the Cabinet 
believed that there was to be any serious conflict. At 
most, they thought it would be an aflair of sixty or 
ninety days. Sherman knew better, and in the hope of 
arousing the Government to action before it should be 
too late, he addressed a letter to General Cameron, then 
Secretary of War, in which he forewarned him in the 
most earnest language of the imminency of war and the 
'entire want of preparation for it. lie stated also that 
he was educated at the expense of the United Stales, 
and feeling that he owed every thing to his country, he 
had come to tender her his services as a soldier. He 
also waited upon the President, and, stating to him his 
views, tendered his services. The President replied, 
laughing, " We shall not need many men like you ; the 
whole affair will soon blow over." He urged, when the 
fall of Sumter came, the importance of a gigantic army, 
not called out for three months, but for the war, to put 
down the rebellion at once, and denounced the calling out 
of three months men as being as absurd as the attempt to 
extinguish the flames of a burning building with a squirt- 
gun. Neither the Govern.ment nor the people w<^i'e then 
prepared to comprehend the justice and clearness of his 
views, and he passed for an ultraist. At the organization 
of the new regiments of the regular aimy in June, 1861, 
he was appointed colonel of the new 13th infantry, his 
commission dating from May 14, 1861. 



GENP:EAL SHERMAN. 99 

His first actual service in the war was at the battle of 
Bull Run, or Manassas, as the rebels named it. Colonel 
Sherman commanded the third brigade in the First 
(Tyler's) division. That brigade consisted of the 13th, 
69th, and TOth New York, and the 2d Wisconsin in- 
fantry regiments, and Ayres' regular battery — all troops 
since renowned for their gallantry. There have been 
many conflicting statements and opinions in regard to 
this battle, but the best military authorities seem to have 
settled the point that the fighting of that day was not 
discreditable to either army, composed as both were of 
raw troops. It is evident from the reports of the rebel 
commanders that they themselves regarded the day as 
lost, till the unexpected arrival of Johnston's troops 
turned the scale, and communicating a sudden panic to 
the Union troops, who had previously fought well, led 
to that disgraceful rout which has made that day in- 
famous. But whatever may be thought or said of the 
fighting of other portions of the army, there is abundant 
evidence that Sherman's brigade fought with desperate 
and determined valor. "A part of Plunter's and Heint- 
zelman's divisions," says Major-General McDowell in his 
report, "forced the enemy back far enough to allow 
Sherman's and Keyes's brigades of Tyler's division to 
cross from their positions on the Warrenton road. These 
drove the right of the enemy, understood to have been 
commanded by Beauregard, from the front of the field, 
and out of the detached woods, and down the road, and 
across it, up the slopes on the other side." They did 
more than this : pressing forward, they came upon an 
elevated ridge or plateau, where occurred the severest 
fighting of the day. Sherman led his brigade directly 
up the Warrenton road, and held his ground till the 
general order came to retreat. Colonel Bowman, in a 



100 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

biographical sketch of General Sherman in the "TJ. S. 
Service Magazine," mentions an incident connected 
with tljis battle which we have not seen elsewhere. It 
was as follows. The order given to Tyler's division was 
to cross Bull Run when possible, and join Hunter on the 
right. In obeying this order, Sherman led off, with the 
69th New York in advance. On their march they en- 
countered a party of the enemy retreating along a clus- 
ter of pines; and Lieutenant-Colonel Haggerty, then in 
command of the 69th, rode over, without orders, to inter- 
cept their retreat, and was instantly killed by the enemy's 
fire. Haggerty was much beloved by his men, and they, 
furious at his loss, sprang forward and opened fire, which 
was returned. " But," says Colonel Sherman, " deter- 
mined to effect our junction with Hunter's division, I 
ordered the fire to cease, and we proceeded with caution 
towards the field, where we then plainly saw our forces 
engaged." Burnside, then a colonel commanding one 
of the brigades in Hunter's division, was at this time 
sorely pressed and nearly overwhelmed by the enemy 
and was only relieved by the timely advent of Sherman's 
brigade, which under his orders turned not aside either 
to the right hand or the left, till the orders it had re- 
ceived were obeyed. " It was Sherman's brigade," says 
Burnside, "that arrived about twelve-and-a-half o'clock, 
and by a most deadly fire assisted in breaking the enemy's 
lines." The promptness and strict obedience to orders 
which characterized Sherman's conduct on that day have 
been marked traits in his subsequent career. 

The vigor and determination with which Colonel 
Sherman fought his brigade on this occasion, made their 
share of the losses much heavier than those of any other 
brigade in the Union army; his total of killed, wounded, 
and missing, being six hundred and nine, while that of 



GENERAL SHKEMAN. lUi 

the whole division was but eight hundred and fifty-nine, 
and of the entire array, aside from prisoners and strag- 
lers, but fifteen hundred and ninety. The flight of the 
panic-stricken fugitives towards Washington disgusted 
Colonel Sherman, and he was very severe in his denunci- 
ations of the militia ofiicers, especially those in his own 
command, for their part in the panic. Conscious of their 
misconduct, some of these ofiicers resented his rebukes, 
and sought to injure his reputation. The Ohio delega- 
tion in Congress having learned the good conduct and 
valor of Colonel Sherman, urged his promotion, and on 
the 3d of August he was confirmed a brigadier-general 
of volunteers, his commission dating from May 17th, 
1861. 

Early in August, General Anderson having been as- 
signed to the command of the department of the Ohio, 
General Sherman was made second in command, and 
sent soon afterwards with a force of seven thousand men, 
composed of volunteers and Kentucky home-guards, to 
occupy Muldraugh's hill, a point of considerable strategic 
importance, south of the Rolling fork of Salt river. The 
home-guards which there, as elsewhere, proved entirely 
unreliable, soon abandoned his camp for their homes, and 
the reinforcements intended to strengthen his command 
were sent elsewhere. He now found himself with ordy 
five thousand troops, badly armed, and in an unfriendly 
region, confronted by the rebel General Buckner with a 
rebel force of twenty-five thousand men. While aflTairi? 
were in this discouraffingr condition, General Anderson's 
health failed so completely, that he resigned, and, on the 
8th of October, General Sherman was appointed his suc- 
cessor. 

In no part of the country, and at no time during the 
war, were the prospects more gloomy than in the depart- 
9* 



102 OUE GREAT CAPTAINS. 

ment of the Ohio at this period. The greater part of 
the population of Kentucky capable of bearing arras had 
joined the rebel army. Those who remained behind 
were divided in sentiment, but most of them, from one 
cause or another, unfriendly. The force at Sherman's 
command was wholly inadequate, and what he had were 
poorly armed. He was deficient also in munitions of 
war, and in the means of transportation, while in his 
front were rebel forces outnumbering his own at almost 
every point, well supplied and confident of success. If 
the rebel generals had known his actual condition, they 
could have captured or driven his forces across the Ohio 
in ten days. There were in his camps numerous news- 
paper letter-wiiters, who, if loyal, were far from being 
discreet, and whose communications made public the very 
facts which it was all-important to conceal from the 
enemy. These he excluded from his lines by a strin- 
gent general order, and thus brought down upon his head 
all the indignation of the press. 

But a greater cause of alarm arose from the fact that 
the Secretary of War, General Cameron, utterly failed 
to comprehend the necessities of his position, or the im- 
portance of holding it. No one doubts the loyalty of 
General Cameron, but there can be no question that his 
foilure to comprehend the magnitude of the contest, and 
the necessity of having a large and well-appointed army 
promptly on the ground, to meet and crush out the re- 
bellion during its first year, was the means of protract- 
ing it through the years which followed. In the end, 
the result may be better for the nation, but it reflects, 
nevertheless, on the incapacity of the secretary. 

General Sherman had an interview with Secretary 
Cameron, at Lexington, Kentucky, in October, in pres- 
ence of Adjutant-General Thomas. In this interview, he 



GENERAL SHEKMAN. 103 

explained to the Secretary the critical situation of his 
command, and the numbers and condition of the enemy's 
troops, and to the question what force was necessary for 
a forward movement in his department, which then in- 
cUided all east of the Mississippi and west of the Alle- 
ghanies, he repUed promptly, " Two hundi-ed thousand 
men." " The answer," says Colon^ Bowman, " was the 
inspiration or the judgment of a military genius, but to 
the mind of Mr. Secretary Cameron, it was the prophecy 
of a false wizard," or, we may add, the raving of a 
maniac. The secretary and the adjutant-general at 
once pronounced Sherman crazy, and made themselves 
merry over his extravagant demands, which the adjutant- 
general was so indiscreet as to repeat and allow to find 
its way into print, together with the details of the 
strength of Sherman's position, thus informing the enemy 
of the weakness of his lines. 

On the 3d of November, General Sherman telegraphed 
to General McClellan, then general-in-chief, detailing the 
position and number of his several forces, showing that 
everyw^here, except at a single point, they were outnum- 
bered, and concluded his dispatch with the remark, " Our 
forces are too small to do any good, and too large to be 
sacrificed.-^' In reply. General McClellan inquired, " How 
long could McCook (one of Sherman's generals) keep 
Buckner out of Louisville, holding the railroad, with 
power to destroy it inch by inch ?" Here was no hint 
of any intention of sending reinforcements, but a proba- 
ble purpose of abandoning Kentucky. Sherman, with 
that sensitiveness which is peculiarly the attribute of a 
gallant soldier, felt that he had incurred the displeasure 
of the WarDepai-tment by his frankness and his estimate 
of the power and capacity of the enemy, and that, under 
the circumstances, he could not conduct the campaign 



104 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

successfully ; he therefore asked to be relieved, and was 
succeeded by General Buell, who was at once reinforced 
and enabled to hold his defensive position till Grant was 
ready to move in the spring. 

Meantime, the press had revenged itself upon Sher- 
man by pronouncing him crazy, and he was shelved by 
being put in comm^d of Benton barracks, near St. 
Louis. Not long after, General Halleck succeeded 
General Fremont in command of the Western Depart- 
ment, and he was too good a judge of character to allow 
a man of General Sherman's abilities to be detained as 
the commandant of recruiting barracks. He was accord- 
ingly detailed to forward reinforcements and supplies 
from Paducah to General Grant, then engaged in the 
siege of Fort Donelson, and after the capture of that 
stronghold, he was put in command of the Fifth division 
of Grant's army, and with it went into camp at Pitts- 
burg Landing. The Fifth division was composed almost 
wholly of I'SiW troops, who had never been under fire. 
In the short period which elapsed before tlie battle of 
Shiloh, the men were drilled and trained as well as time 
would permit, but they were still but indifferently pre- 
pared for the fierce battle which was so soon to come. 

When the battle of Shiloh commenced, April 6th, 
1862, General Sherman had just taken his position at 
Shiloh church, three miles out from the landing, on the 
main road to Corinth. He was strongly and advanta- 
geously posted. His first line of battle was formed on 
the brov/ of a hill, oi" rather a ridge, on the west of Lick 
and Owl creeks, which served as a natural fortification. 
The men, by lying down or flilling back a few steps, 
were well covered, and by rising and advancing a few 
paces could deliver their fire with terrible effect. The 
rebel commanders soon appreciated the fact that this 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 105 

position must be carried at all hazards if they would win 
the day. Hence their assaults upon it were well-directed, 
rapid, and persistent. A part of Sherman's regiments 
were panic-stricken, broke, and fled ; but this he had 
expected and was not disconcerted by it, and rallying 
the remainder, he fought the enemy undismayed through 
the day, and at 4 p. m., deliberately made a new line 
behind McArthur's drill-field, placing batteries on chosen 
ground, where he could protect a bridge which it was 
necessary for General Lew. Wallace's division, then every 
moment expected, to cross, and here repelled the assaults 
of the enemy and drove them back. General Grant 
visited him twice that day, approved of his movements, 
and directed him to assume the offensive at daylight the 
next day. He did so, and after some severe fighting, 
the rebels were compelled to retreat. On the morning 
of the 8th of April, he made a reconnoissance with his 
division along the Corinth road, met and drove from 
their position a considerable force of rebel cavalry, and 
captu'-ed a number of prisoners, and large quantities of 
arms, ammunition, &c. But it was not merely by his ad- 
mirable management of his division that he saved the 
day. Colonel Bowman well says of his conduct in that 
battle, " There was not a commanding general on the 
field who did not rely on Sherman, and look to him as 
our chief hope; and there is no question that but for 
him our army would have been destroyed. He rode 
from place to place, directing his men ; he selected from 
time to time the positions for his artillery ; he dismounted 
and managed the guns ; he sent suggestions to com- 
manders of divisions ; he inspired everybody with confi- 
dence; and yet it never occurred to him that he had ac- 
complished any thing worthy of remark." 

General Nelson, himself a division commander in that 



106 OUK GKKAT CAPTAINS. 

battle, said, "During eight hours, the fate of the army 
on tlie field of Shiloh depended upon the life of one man ; 
if General Sherman had fallen, the army would have 
been captured or destroyed." General Halleck, who ar- 
rived on the field two or three days after the battle, 
said, in a letter to the Secretary of War, "It is the 
unanimous opinion here that Brigadier-General Sherman 
saved the fortunes of the day ; he was in the thickest of 
the fight, had three horses killed under him, and was 
twice wounded." 

General Grant, in his report of April 9th, 1862, speaks 
of his services as follows : "I feel it a duty, however, to 
a gallant and able officer, Brigadier-General W. T. 
Sherman, to make a special mention of his services. He 
not only was with his command during the entire two 
days of the action, but displayed great judgment and 
skill in the management of his men. Although severely 
wounded in the hand on the first day, his yjlace was 
never vacant. He was again wounded, and had three 
horses killed under him." Again, after the capture of 
Vicksburg, under date of July 26, 1863, General Grant 
wrote to the War Department, of Geneial Sherman : 
" At the battle of Shiloh, on the first day, he held, with 
raw troops, the key-point of the landing. It is no dis- 
paragement to any other ofiicer to say, that I do not be- 
lieve there was another division-commander on the field 
who h"d the skill and experience to have done it. To 
his individual efforts I am indebted for the success of 
that battle:'' 

A cavalry ofl[icer, who was in the battle of Shiloh, 
gives some interesting incidents of his bearing on that 
day, in a communication quoted by Colonel Bowman. 
"Having," he says, "occasion to report personally to 
General Sherman, about noon of the first day at Shiloh, 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 107 

I found him dismounted, his arm in a shng, his hand 
bleeding, his horse dead, himself covered with dust, his 
face besmeared with powder and blood. He was giving 
directions at the moment to Major Taylor, his chief of 
artillery, who had just brought a battery into position. 
Mounted orderlies were coming and going in haste; 
staff officers were making anxious inquiries; everybody 
but himself seemed excited. The battle was raging 
terrifically in every direction. Just then there seemed 
to be unusual commotion on our right, where it was ob- 
served our men were giving back. ' I was looking for 
that,' said Sherman; 'but I am ready for them.' His 
quick, sharp eyes flashed, and his war-begrimed face 
beamed with satisfiiction. The enemy's packed columns 
now made their appearance, and as quickly tlie guns 
which Sherman had so carefully placed in position began 
to speak. The deadly eftect on the enemy was apparent. 
While Sherman was still managing the aitillery, Major 
Sanger, a staff-officer, called his attention to the fact that 
the enemy's cavalry were charging towards the battery. 
* Order up those two companies of infantry,' was the 
quick reply ; and the general coolly went on with his 
guns. The cavalry made a gallant charge, but their 
horses carried back empty saddles. The enemy was 
evidently foiled. Our men, gaining fresh courage, ral- 
lied again, and for the first time that day, the enemy 
was held stubbornly in check. A moment more, and he 
fell back over the piles of his dead and wounded." 

During the advance upon Corinth which followed the 
battle of Shiloh, Sherman's division w^as continually in 
the lead, and carried, occupied, and reintrenched seven 
distinct rebel camps. On the 30th of May, 1862, Beau 
regard retreated from Corinth, and it was occupied the 
same day by Sherman's division. "His services as 



108 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

division commander in the advance on Corinth," writes 
General Grant, " I will venture to say, were appreciated , 
by the now general-in-chief (General Halleck) beyond 
those of any other division commander." At the earnest 
request of Generals Halleck and Grant, General Sherman 
was promoted to the rank of major-general of Volun- 
teers, to date from May 1st, 1862. 

On the 20th of June he advanced from Corinth and 
captured the important post of Holly Springs, Missis- 
sippi, thoroughly destroying trestle-bridges and track on 
the Mississippi Central railroad, so as to prevent any 
sudden approach of the enemy. 

Memphis, which had surrendered to our naval forces 
in the spring of 1862, and was now in General Grant's 
department, was in a sad condition. Around it, in all 
directions, a guerilla warfare raged furiously, and the 
city itself had become so thoroughly interested in the 
contraband trade with rebels, that a prominent rebel 
officer avowed his belief that it was more valuable to 
them in the hands of the Federal Government than be- 
fore its capture. General Grant had no intention of al- 
lowing this state of things to continue, and knowing 
General Sherman's hearty loyalty and decision of char- 
acter, he appointed him to the command of the district 
of Memphis, with an injunction to suppress both the 
guerillas and the contraband trade. This was accom- 
plished within the next six months so thoroughly, that 
for many months subsequent, the place bore a high 
character for loyalty, and the guerrillas confined their 
raids to regions where they were in less danger of losing 
their lives. 

In December, 1862, General Grant made the first 
movements in his operations against Vicksburg. His 
first step was to appoint General Sherman to the com- 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 109 

mand of the Fifteenth army corps, and to direct him to 
make some reconnoissances near Tallahatchie river. 
These completed, he unfolded to him his plan for the 
capture of Vicksburg. Sherman, at the head of four 
picked divisions, was to embark at Memphis, on the 20th 
of December, and rendezvous at Friar's point, and from 
thence move directly on Vicksburg, and attack it ; while 
Grant himself, with a large force, was to proceed down 
the Mississippi Central railroad to Jackson, Mississippi, 
and hold and engage the enemy's forces there, and, these 
defeated, move to the rear of Vicksburg. Holly Springs, 
on the Mississippi Central, was to be his depot of sup- 
plies, and he had already accumulated there the stores 
necessary for the expedition. Sherman started promptly 
on the 20th,* but on the same day Holly Springs was 
attacked by the enemy under Van Dorn, and disgrace- 
fully surrendered, and its stores destroyed. General 
Grant, who was below Holly Springs at the time, was 



* Sherman's general order on setting out with this expedition 
is a remarkable document. Then, as always, he was opposed to 
all military trading expeditions, and to permitting a motley and 
irresponsible herd of camp-followers to accompany and betray the 
purposes and numbers of the expedition. The order was as fol- 
lows : " The expedition now fitting out is purely of a military 
character, and the interests involved are of too important a nature 
to be mixed up with personal and private business. No citizen, 
male or female, will be allowed to accompany it, unless employed 
as part of a crew, or as servants to the transports. No person 
whatever — citizen, officer, or sutler — will, on any consideration, 
buy or deal in cotton, or other produce of the country. The trade 
in cotton must wait a more peaceful state of aflPairs. Any person 
whatever, making reports for publication, which might reach and 
inform, aid, or comfort the enemy, should be treated as a spy. A 
citizen following the expedition in defiance of the above orders, 
should be conscripted, or made a deck-hand on the transports." 
10 



110 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

compelled to return towards Memphis, and accumulate 
new supplies before he could move forward, and at the 
same time was unable to communicate with Sherman. 

Unaware of this failure, Sherman pressed on, and dis- 
embarking on the 26th and 27th of December near the 
mouth of the Yazoo, ordered a general advance at once 
upon the city, and before niglit drove the enemy from 
his outer lines. On the 28th and 29th the assault was 
renewed, and on the latter day a series of brilliant 
charges were made with the utmost fury. There have 
been few instances of as desperate fighting during the 
war. "Blair's brigade in the advance, emerging fi-om 
the cover of a cypress forest, came upon an intricate 
abatis of young trees felled about three feet above the 
ground, with the tops left interlacing in confusion. Be- 
yond the abatis was a deep ditch with a quicksand at 
the bottom, and several feet of water on the sand. Be- 
yond the ditch was a more impenetrable abatis of heavy 
timber. All this was swept by a murderous fire from 
the enemy's artillery. Yet through and over it all the 
brigade gallantly charged, and drove the enemy from 
his rifle-pits, at the base of the centre hill, on which the 
city lay. Other brigades came up in support, and the 
second line was carried ; and still up the hill pressed the 
heroic advance. But it was all in vain. Ilie city was 
impregnable to so small a force, and reluctantly the 
storming party yielded up their hardly earned conquests, 
Blair's brigade losing one third of its men in the daring 
assault. Under a flag of truce, Sherman buried his dead 
and cared for his wounded, and then promptly re-em- 
barked. At this juncture General McClernand ai-rived, 
and assumed command by virtue of his priority of com- 
mission. Sherman at once announced the fact to his 
" right wing of the Army of the Tennessee," praising 



GENERAL SHERMAN. Ill 

their zeal, iilacrity, and courage, and adding, "Ours was 
but part of a combined movement, in which others were 
to assist. We were in time ; unforeseen contingencies 
must have delayed the others. We have destroyed the 
Shreveport road ; we have attacked the defences of 
Vicksburg, and pushed the attack as far as prudence 
would justify ; and having found it too strong for our 
single column, we have drawn off in good order and in 
good spirits, ready for any new move. A new com- 
mander is now here to lead you. I know that all good 
officers and soldiers will give him the same hearty sup- 
port and cheerful obedience they have hitherto given 
me. There are honors enough in reserve for all, and 
work enough, too." 

The patriotism and manliness of this order will be 
more evident if we bear in mind that General Sherman 
had just suffered the mortification of a repulse for which 
he was in no sense blameworthy, the reasons which had 
compelled General Grant to fail in his part of the attack 
being unknown to General Sherman ; and that the subor- 
dinate officers not cognizant of all the facts, and the 
newspaper correspondents who had an old grudge to 
revenge, were heaping undeserved reproach upon him. 
There was, beside this, the mortification of being re- 
quired to yield his command to a man like General 
McClernand, a civilian general, overbearing, ambitious, 
and conceited, who never scrupled in the endeavor to 
exalt his own reputation on the misfortune of others, or 
to avail himself of their plans without ascribing to them 
any portion of the credit. Yet Sherman acquiesced 
gracefully and with true patriotism in the change, and 
in handing over the command to McClernand, sought to 
transfer to him also the affection and good-will of his 
officers and men. 



112 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

But time makes all tilings even. This attack on 
Chickasaw bluffs, for which Sherman was denounced in 
the most violent and unmeasured terms by the Western 
papers, was subsequently fully justified and approved by 
General Giant in his report to the War Department, in 
which he says : " General Sherman's arrangement as 
commander of troops, in the attack on Chickasaw bluffs, 
last December, was admirable ; seeing the ground from 
the opposite side from the attack, afterwards, I saw the 
impossibility of making it successful." 

The troops which embarked at the mouth of the 
Yazoo, under the command of General McClernand, 
consisted of part of two army corps, the Fifteenth, of 
which Sherman still retained the command, and the 
Thirteenth, which was properly McClernand's. They 
proceeded at once to Arkansas Post, and, following out 
a plan proposed by Sherman before the attack on Chick- 
asaw bluffs, carried the position, capturing seven thousand 
prisoners, several cannon, and a large quantity of supplies. 

In the subsequent operations of General Grant for the 
reduction of the rebel stronghold of Yicksburg, General 
Sherman bore a distinguished part. His first achieve- 
ment was the relief of Admiral Porter's fleet of gunboats 
on the Sunflower river. It had been a favorite plan with 
General Grant to reach the Yazoo river with gunboats, 
from some point above Yicksburg, and descending it to 
Haines' bluff, make an assault from that point upon the 
city, which he believed would result in its capture. The 
attempt had been made through the Yazoo pass, but had 
failed. Admiral Porter, who was co-operating with Gen- 
eral Grant, thought he had discovered anotlicr route 
which promised better success, through the interlacing 
streams which irrigate the tract between the Mississippi 
and the Yazoo. He asked the co-operation of a skilful 



GENI RAL SHERMAN. 113 

and resolute land force ; and General Grant detailed 
General Sherman, with one division of his Fifteenth army- 
corps. The gunboats pushed on through Steele's and 
Black's bayous, into Deer creek and Rolling fork, an 
affluent of Sunflower river, which is itself a tributary of 
the Yazoo, while the troops, following a more circuitous 
route, were necessarily a day or two in the rear. On 
the 21st of March, the admiral having entered the Sun- 
flower river, found it full of obstructions, with formidable 
batteries ahead, the enemy in heavy force, with artillery 
in front and on both flanks, and the stream too nai-row 
to manoeuvre successfully. Fearing that the enemy 
might blockade his rear by felling obstructions, he sent a 
pressing message to Sherman, then many miles distant, 
to come immediately to his relief, and awaited his coming 
with the deepest anxiety, the enemy meantime endeavor- 
ing to pass him on one or the other flank. Sherman re- 
ceived his message at seven o'clock on the morning of the 
22d, and started instantly with rather more than a brigade, 
in a forced march over the most intolerable roads, to re- 
lieve him. He pushed on with the utmost speed ; but 
while yet several miles distant, a part of the rebel force 
attempted to push across his flank, in order to reach the 
boats first, and as they came in sight, the gunboats 
opened fire on them. At the sound of the cannon, 
Sherman, with his little band, struck out in a straight 
line for the point whence the firing proceeded, and by 
the greatest urgency brought his men through in about 
an hour, and flung his force upon the rebels, who, aston- 
ished at his appearance, fled instantly. Another hour, 
and the gunboats would have been lost inevitably. As 
it was, it required the utmost skill and generalship on 
the part of both commanders to force their way back, 

with the goal un attained. 

10* 



114: OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

When General Grant determined to attack Yicks- 
biirg from below, by moving his force down the west 
side of the Mississippi, hmding at Grand Gulf, or below, 
and marching first eastward to Jackson, he confided his 
plan to General Sherman, and required of him a move- 
ment, by way of feint, involving some danger and re- 
quiring a high degree of military tact. The Thirteenth 
and Seventeenth corps (McClernand's and McPherson's) 
were put at once upon the line of march, over that weari- 
some slough of mud between Milliken's bend and Hard 
Times, Louisiana; but Sherman's corps was ordered to 
remain at Milliken's bend, and keep up the semblance of 
siege of the city from that position ; and when Grant 
was ready to land his troops at Bruinsburg, he sent a 
dispatch to Sherman, who thereupon embarked his troops 
on transports, and moving directly on Haines' bluff, 
landed, and, with the co-operation of the gunboats, pre- 
pared to assault. The gunboats maintained a terrible 
fire for four hours to cover their landing. These demon- 
strations were continued for two days with great success. 
The enemy regarding it as a bona fide attack, concen- 
trated almost their entire force at Haines' bluff, and 
General Grant was thus enabled to land his troops \^•ithout 
opposition, and to proceed tow^ards Port Gibson without 
encountering any very large force. This accomplished, 
General Sherman made a forced mai-ch of over sixty 
miles of terrible roads in six days, and joined General 
Grant at Grand Gulf on the 6th of May. The next day 
the whole army advanced, and on the 12th Sherman's 
and McClernand's corps had some skirmishing at Four- 
teen Mile creek, while McPherson fought a sharp but 
successful battle at Raymond. Generals Sherman and 
McPherson then marched by different routes towards 
Jackson, and while Sherman approached and at- 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 115 

tacked on the south side, McPhevson assailed it on the 
north. Jolinston, the rebel general, planted artillery, 
and stationed a small infantiy force under cover in front 
of Sherman, but massed his troops against McPherson. 
This ruse General Sherman promptly detected, and send- 
ingai-econnoitering party to the right, flanked the position, 
and held himself in readiness to support McPherson's at- 
tack ; but after a sharp battle, that general had defeated 
the rebels, who had fled northward. Sherman was now 
left at Jackson to destroy the railroads, bridges, facto- 
ries, arsenals, machine-shops, &c., belonging to the enemy. 
He did this eff'ectually, and, early on the 16th of May, re- 
ceived orders from General Grant to move with all speed 
till he came up with the main forces near Bolton. In one 
hour from the time of receiving the dispatch, he was in mo- 
tion with his troops. On reaching Bolton, he found that 
the array had gone on and fought that day the battle of 
Champion hills, and orders were left for him to go on to 
Bridgeport, and by noon of the I7th he had reached that 
point. From thence he assumed the advance, starting 
before dawn of the 18th, crossing the Black river on a 
pontoon bridge, and marching rapidly towards Vicksburg. 
Before night of that day, by a rapid detour to the right, 
he threw himself on Walnut hills, and compelled their 
evacuation by the enemy, passing between Snyder's and 
Walnut blufls, and thus cutting the rebel force in two. 
This brilliant manoeuvre accomplished two results, both 
of the greatest importance. It compelled the evacuation 
of Haines' bluff*, Snyder's bluff", and Walnut and Chicka- 
saw bluffs by the enemy, with all their strong works, and 
it enabled General Grant at once to open communication 
with the fleet and his new base on the Yazoo and Mis- 
sissippi, above Vicksburg. Of General Sherman's con- 
duct during this preliminaiy portion of the campaign, 



116 OITR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

General Grrant wrote to the War Department : " His 
demonstration at Haines' bluff in April, to hold the 
enemy about Yicksburg, while the army was securing a 
foothold east of the Mississippi ; his rapid marches to 
join the army afterwards; his management at Jackson, 
Mississippi, in the first attack; his almost unequalled 
march from Jackson to Bridgeport, and passage of Black 
river ; and his securing Walnut hills on the 18th of May, 
attest his great merit as a soldier." It is worthy of no- 
tice, that the position thus gained by General Sherman, 
by a rear attack, was the one against the front of which 
his troops had been hurled in vain less than five months 
before. 

On the morning of the 19th of May, at 2 a. m.. Gener- 
al Grant ordered a general assault en the enemy's lines, 
and, of the three corps engaged, Sherman's alone suc- 
ceeded in making a material advance. A second assault 
was ordered for the 22d. This, though conducted with 
great bravery and daring, proved unsuccessful, and resort 
was had to the slower but surer process of a siege. The 
city was surrendered on the 4th of July, and its reduc- 
tion conferred lasting renown on General Gi'ant and his 
brave Army of the Tennessee. To the remainder of that 
army the surrender brought rest and relaxation from their 
severe labor; but Sherman's troops, increased by the ad- 
dition of the 13th army corps, were ordered immediately 
to look after Johnston. That rebel commander had made 
great efforts to collect a force suflacient to enable him to 
raise the siege of Vicksburg, bat had found it impossible 
to do so. He had, however, hovered in the rear of 
Grant's army, prudently keeping the Big Black river be- 
tween his force and theirs, but was on the alert to do 
them a mischief On the very day of the surrender 
Sherman moved eastward, found and drove Johnston's 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 117 

force back to Jackson, and promptly invested it there, 
at the same time sending his cavah-y to cut the railroads, 
and destroy railroad bridges, culverts, depots, cars, &c., 
above and below the city on the Mississippi Central rail- 
road, and east on the Jackson and Meridian railroad. 
Johnston made one desperate sortie, but, finding Gener- 
al Sherman prepared for him, evacuated the city hastily 
on the night of the 16th, at the only point not yet com- 
pletely invested, abandoning every thing, except the arms 
of the soldiers, to the Union troops. Of this last triumph 
General Grant said, " It entitles General Sherman to more 
credit than usually falls to the lot of one man to earn." 

For two months General Sherman and his army corps 
rested, lying in camp along the Big Black river, a rest 
much needed after the hardships of the siege and subse- 
quent pursuit of Johnston ; but the opportunity was im- 
proved by the commander to refit and recruit his force, 
and to bring and keep them in the highest state of effi- 
ciency for service whenever they should be called upon. 
The time soon came. On the 2 2d of September, General 
Grant telegraphed him from Yicksburg to send a divi- 
sion at once to reinforce Rosecrans, who had just fought 
the severe and disastrous battle of Chickamauga. At 4 
p. M., the same day, Osterhaus' division were on the road 
to Vicksburg, and the next day ascending the river to 
Memphis. On the 23d the order came for General Sher- 
man to follow with the remainder of his corps. He started 
instantly, every thing being in order for immediate move- 
ment, and on the 2Vth was on his way to Memphis by 
water. Owing to the low state of the river and the scar- 
city of fuel, the voyage was very slow, and the general 
found it necessary frequently to land forces and gather 
fence-rails, and other fuel, to hasten their progress. They 
finally reached Memphis on the 2d, 3d, and 4th of Oc- 



1 18 ODR GRKAT CAPTAINS. 

tober, Osterhaus' division having, meantime, advanced 
as far as Corinth. At Memphis he found orders from 
General Halleck to move his corps, and all other avail- 
able troops in his vicinity, to Athens, Alabama, following 
and repairing the railroad, and depending on the country- 
through which he passed for his supplies. Work was 
instantly commenced on the railroad, and prosecuted day 
and night, but, finding he could move his trains more 
rapidly by turnpike with an escort, he dispatched them 
by that route, and finally sent forward his fourth division 
in the same way. 

The rebels having learned of this movement, and being 
alai-raed by it, collected as rapidly as i)Ossible bodies of 
troops at Salem, Mississippi, and Tuscumbia, Alabama, 
to prevent the advance of Sherman, and his reinforce- 
ment of Rosecrans. At Salem, the rebel General Chal- 
mers had collected three thousand cavalry and eight 
pieces of artillery, and moved forward with this force to 
the Memphis and Charleston railroad to obstruct Sher- 
man's progress. Having been informed of this. General 
Sherman on the 11th of October put his whole force in 
motion towards Corinth, and himself started for that 
place in advance by special train, having a battalion of 
the 13th regular infantry (his own old regiment) with him 
as escort. As he approached Colliersville, twenty-four 
miles from Memphis, his train was fired upon, and it was 
discovered that Chalmers was investing the place, which 
was defended by a small garrison of Union troops in a 
stockade. Springing from the train, and forming his 
escort, he ordered them to charge the rebels, which they 
did with great eflfect, scattering them in all directions, 
and relieving^ the little c-arrison. Havinor driven the 
rebels from the vicinity, he proceeded the next day to 
Corinth, from wlience he sent General Blair to luka with 



GENERAL SHKRMAN. 119 

the first division, and, as fast as they came up, pushed 
the other divisions ah^ng, with orders to stop at Big 
Bear creek, five miles east of luka. Before leaving 
Memphis he had sent a request to Admiral Porter to 
send the gunboats up the Tennessee, and to General 
Allen, at St. Louis, to send a ferry-boat to Eastport. 
Both had complied with his wishes, and he resumed 
work on the railroad with all possible energy, send- 
ing General Blair, meanwhile, with two divisions to 
drive the enemy out of Tuscumbia, which he accom- 
plished on the 27th of October, having previously en- 
countered the rebels in a severe fight at Cane creek. 

While General Sherman was thus making as rapid 
progress as he could in reopening communications be- 
tween Memphis and Chattanooga, General Gi'ant had 
been advanced to the command of the grand military 
division of the Mississi{)pi, comprising the three armies 
of the Cumberland, the Ohio, and the Tennessee, and 
had asked and obtained for General Sherman the com- 
mand of his own army of the Tennessee. He was in- 
formed of this while at luka, and immediately com- 
menced reorganizing his new command ; and on the day 
of the battle of Cane creek he sent Genei-al Ewing with 
a division to cross the Tennessee, and move with all 
speed to Eastport. On the 27th of October, a messen- 
ger arrived from General Grant, ordering him to drop 
all work on the railroad east of Bear creek, and push on 
to Biidgeport. With prompt obedience he immediately 
ordered all his columns towards Eastport, as the only 
y)racticable point where the Tennessee could be crossed. 
On the 1st of November, Genei'al Sherman himself 
crossed, and passed on to the head of the column, leav- 
ing the rear in charge of General Blair, and mai'ched to 
liogersville and the Elk river. Finding that liver im- 



120 OUK GREAT CAPTAINS. 

passable, and there being no time for building a bridge 
or constructing pontoons, he marched on by the north 
side of the Elk river to Fayetteville, and crossing there, 
headed his column for Bridgeport ; and having prescribed 
the route for each division, he hastened forward to 
Bridgeport, telegraphed to General Grant the position 
of his troops, and on the 15th of November, with his 
escort, entered Chattanooga. He was welcomed by 
General Grant, and at once received orders to move his 
troops, as soon as they came up, across the Tennessee, 
and effect a lodgment on the terminus of Missionary 
Ridge, and at the same time demonstrate with a part of 
his force against Lookout mountain. His men were 
much exhausted by their long and terrible march from 
Memphis, and most generals would have craved a brief 
period of rest for them, but General Sherman was too 
thorough a soldier to hesitate a moment in his obedience, 
and he accordingly directed Ewing's division on Trenton, 
to make the intended demonstration on Lookout moun- 
tain, and himself returned to Bridgeport, rowing a boat 
down the Tennessee from Kelly's ferry, and instantly 
put his other divisions in motion, in the order in which 
they had arrived. The roads were horrible, but by the 
most incessant exertion night and day, he succeeded in 
crossing three divisions over a pontoon bridge at 
Brown's ferry by the 23d of November, while the fourth 
division was left behind in Hooker's camp, in conse- 
quence of the breaking of the bridge. The three di- 
visions were the same day concealed behind the hills 
opposite the mouth of Chickamauga river, and the same 
night, by a dexterous manoeuvre, he moved a force 
silently along the river, and captured every guard but 
one of the enemy's picket of twenty men. By daylight, 
on the 24th of November, he had crossed eight thousand 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 121 

men on steamboats and pontoon boats to the east bank 
of tlie Tennessee, and they had thrown up a strong rifle 
trench, commandmg both the Tennessee and the Ciiicka- 
mauga river, as a tete du po7it. At dawn two pontoon 
bridges were begun — one thirteen hundred and lifty feet 
long, over the Tennessee ; the other, across the Chicka- 
mauga, perhaps two hundred and fifty feet. At 1 p. m., 
both were done, and the remainder of the three divisions 
crossed, and marched from the river en echelon^ so ar- 
ranged as to be able to deploy promptly to the right on 
meeting the enemy. After these came a considerable 
cavalry force, which crossed the Chickamauga, and 
dashed eastward, to cut the railroad lines upon the 
Chattanooga and Knoxville and Cleveland and Daltou 
roads. The movements of the infantry were so com- 
pletely concealed by a rain and fog, that they pushed on 
up the hill which forms the terminus of Missionary Ridge, 
unseen, surprised the enemy, and took the log and earth- 
work fort which crowned the hill by half-past three 
o'clock p. M. The enemy, enraged at finding himself so 
completely outmanoeuvred and outflanked, opened upon 
Sherman's troops with artillery and musketry, but the 
Union artillery, which had been dragged up the steep 
ascent, opened in turn and soon silenced him. Looking 
at the ridge from the summit of this hill, however, it 
was evident that the grand objective was the next or 
second spur, which was higher, steeper, and on the broad 
plateau at the top had a very strong and extensive earth- 
work, known as Fort Buckner. To carry this must be 
Sherman's eflbrt on the following day. The commander- 
in-chief held a consultation with his leading generals 
that night, and fully aware of Sherman's abilities and 
prompt obedience, assigned to him a difficult task, and 
one which, for the time, could not increase and might 
11 



122 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

diminish his reputation, because the motives on which 
he acted might not be fully understood. As he expected, 
General Sherman promptly, and without objection, ac- 
cepted his part of the duty of the morrow. He was to 
make a persistent demonstration against Fort Buckner, 
sending up column after column to assault it, and thus 
drawing the rebel troops from Forts Bragg and Breck- 
inridge below to Tunnel hill, on which Fort Buckner 
was situated, leave those forts fatally weakened, when 
General Grant would send a storming column to capture 
them, and the enemy thus assailed in rear and flank 
would be compelled to relinquish his position on the 
ridge. It was not expected that Sherman's assaults 
would be successful, though, to be effective, they must 
cost heavy losses; but it is not saying any thing deroga- 
tory to the other able generals who participated in these 
battles, to say that to none other would General Grant 
have felt willing to have assigned a task requiring such 
firmness and self-sacrifice without any immediate hope of 
reputation or fame, but rather a certainty of reproach, 
utterly undeserved, attaching to it; and had he been 
disposed to propose it to any other, he could hardly have 
failed to have met with a protest. General Sherman ac- 
cepted the duty, however, as he would have done any 
other, satisfied that it was his part to perform whatever 
duty was assigned to him, without complaint, so it would 
inure to the overthrow of the rebellion and the end of 
the war. 

" Before dawn on the 25th of i^ovember," says Colonel 
Bowman, " Sherman was in the saddle, and had made 
the entire tour of his position in the dim light. It was 
seen that a deep valley lay between him and the precip- 
itous sides of the next hill in the series, which was only 
partially cleared, and of which the crest was narrow and 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 123 

wooded. The further point of the hill was held by the 
enemy, with a strong breastwork of logs and fresh earth, 
crowded with men and carrying two guns. On a still 
higher hill beyond the tunnel he appeared, in great force, 
and had a fair plunging fire on the intermediate hill in 
dispute. The gorge betw^een these two latter hills, 
through which the railroad tunnel passes, could not be 
seen from Sherman's position, but formed the natural 
place dParmes^ where the enemy covered his masses to 
resist Sherman's turning his right flank, and thus endan- 
gering his communications with the Chickamauga de- 
pot." 

General Corse was to have the advance, " and," says 
General Sherman, " the sun had hardly risen when his 
bugle sounded the ' Forward.' " Down the valley and 
up the steep sides of the hill in front they moved briskly, 
and though at every step they encountered a murderous 
fire from the enemy's artillery, yet they managed in spite 
of all opposition to carry and hold a secondary crest or 
ledge of rocks on Tunnel hill, although their position 
was swept by the fire of the breastworks in front. For 
more than an hour a conflict of the most desperate char- 
acter raged, the Union troops now surging up close to 
the breastwork, and apparently about to spring over, 
and anon dashed back far away to their original position. 
To draw the fire partially from these struggling heroes, 
General^Shei-man opened a fire with his artillery upon 
the breastwork, throwing shot and shell into it with 
great accuracy. He also sent two columns, one to the 
left of the ridge and one to the right, abreast of the tun- 
nel, to distract the enemy's attention, and thus support 
Corse's attack. About ten o'clock a. m., the fight in^ 
creased in hitensity, and General Corse was severely 
wounded. Two brigades of reinforcements were sent 



124 OUK GREAt CAPTAINS. 

up, but the ci'est was so crowded that they had to fall 
away to the west side of the hill, and at once the enemy's 
reserves, which had been lying in the gorge under cover 
of the undergi'owth, sprang out upon their right and 
rear. Tims suddenly assailed, they fell back in some 
confusion to the lower edge of the field, where they re- 
foinied in good order, and repelled the attempts of the 
enemy to pursue. As these brigades constituted no part 
of the real attack, this temporary rebuff was of no prac- 
tical importance. General Corse's column and the two 
brigades on the right and left still held their position 
stubbornly on the crest. They might not be able to 
drive the enemy from the hill, but neither would they 
be driven from it themselves. 

Regarding this as the main attack, and determined to 
repel it, the enemy now began to draw, from his line be- 
low, troops to mass against these stubborn assailants. 
" At three p. m.," writes General Sherman, "column after 
column of the enemy was streaming towards me, gun 
after g-un poured its concentric shot on us from every 
hill and spur that gave a view of any part of the ground." 
From Orchard knob General Grant watched, with deep 
interest, the struggle ; and when, after another charge 
of the most determined character had almost, but not 
quite, won the goal, opposed, at the very last, by the 
heavy reinforcements which the enemy had just brought 
up, the commander-in-chief sent a division over to sup- 
port him, Sherman sent it back, with a message, that he 
had all the force necessary, and could hold his position 
on Tunnel hill. Then came the moment so long watched 
for, when the blow to which Bragg had unwisely ex- 
posed himself, was to be struck, and the patient and gal- 
lant heroes on Tunnel hill were to be avenged. Hooker 
had already placed himself in rear of the enemy, on Mis- 



GENERAL SHERMAN. - 125 

sion ridge, and was at that moment thundering against 
Ihe walls of Fort Bi-agg, the southernmost of the 
rebel earthworks on the ridge, which he carried a little 
later — and at twenty minutes to four, the fourth army 
corps of Thomas' array charged in solid column up the 
ridge, and carried Fort Breckenridge ; and the rebel gen- 
eral and all his garrisons and army were forced, after a 
very brief conflict, to fly in hot haste down the eastei-n 
slope of Missionary ridge, and take refuge in the valleys 
beyond. The battles of Chattanooga were won. Sher- 
man's part in this conflict had been, as we have said, 
not the brilliant one of the victor, before whom the 
enemy fly in confusion ; rather had he at the first to 
bear the odium of having sacrificed his men in a fruitless 
though persistent assault on a fortification which could 
not be carried by direct attack ; but when the whole 
plan of the battles came out, and their mutual relations 
were seen, it became evident that the glorious successes of 
that day were due as much to the persistency and stub- 
bornness with which General Sherman held the crest of 
Tunnel hill, as to the brilliant charge of the fourth corps 
against Fort Breckenridge. Without the former the lat- 
ter could not, by any possibility, have proved successful. 
But with the victory came no rest for Sherman's war- 
worn veterans. The same night Sherman's skirmishers 
followed the enemy, and long before dawn the next 
morning Sherman was himself in the saddle, leading a 
division of Howard's corps in swift pursuit of the flying 
foe. The remainder of his army, and portions of 
Thomas's, as well as Hooker's grand division, followed 
closely and persistently, skirmished with the enemy at 
two or three points, and finally compelling him to stand 
at bay at Ringgold, had a sharp action, but defeated the 
rebels with considerable slaughter. General Grant now 
11* 



126 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

acceded to General Sherman's request, to be allowed to 
destroy thoroughly the railroad communications of the 
enemy with Knoxville, and thus effectually prevent the 
reunion of Longstreet and Bragg. 

Meantime, General Burnside, now besieged at Knox- 
ville, had sent an urgent appeal to General Grant for 
relief. Grant had already ordered General Granger to. 
march thither with his corps, but he had not yet got off, 
and moved with reluctance and complaint. Nor had he 
the number of men which General Grant had directed 
him to take. "I therefore determined," says General 
Grant, " notwithstanding the fact that two divisions of 
Sherman's forces had marched from Memphis, and had 
gone into battle immediately on their arrival at Chatta- 
nooga, to send him with his command." Accordingly, 
Sherman received command of all the troops designed 
for relieving Knoxville, including Granger's. " Seven 
days before," wrote Sherman, " we had left our camps 
on the other side of the Teimessee, with two days' ra- 
tions, without a change of clothing, stripped for the 
fight, with but a single blanket or coat per man, from 
myself to the private included. Of course, we then had 
no provisions, save what we gathered by the road, and 
were ill- supplied for such a march. But we learned that 
twelve thousand of our fellow-soldiers were beleaguered 
in the mountain-town of Knoxville, eighty-four miles 
distant, that they needed relief, and must have it in three 
days. This was enough ; and it had to be done." The 
railroad bridge over the Hiawassee was repaired and 
planked, and at daylight of the 1st of December the 
army crossed upon it, and marched to Athens, fifteen 
miles, through deep mud. On the 2d of December they 
hurried forward to London, twenty-six miles distant, 
while the cavalry pushed on in advance to endeavor 1 ; 



GENERAL SHERMAN. i'AI 

save the bridge over the Tennessee, held by the rebel 
General Vaughan's brigade. They found him strongly 
posted in earthworks with heavy artillery, and were 
compelled to wait for Howard's infantry to come up. 
During tUp night, Vaughan retreated, destroying the 
pontoon bridge, and running several locomotives and a 
number of cars into the Tennessee, but leaving his guns 
and provisions. But one day remained, and less than 
half the distance was traversed, and the bridge gone. 
General Sherman, therefore, sent word to Colonel Xong, 
the commander of the cavalry brigade, that General 
Burnside must know within twenty-four hours that he 
was on his way to relieve him, and directed him to se- 
lect his best mounted men, start at once, ford the Little 
Tennessee, and push into Knoxville, at whatever cost of 
horseflesh. The road was long and almost impassable 
for mud, but Colonel Long was off before dawn, and 
reached there the same evening. The army turned 
aside at Philadelphia, and struck the Little Tennessee at 
Morgantown, but were obliged to extemporize a bridge, 
and crossed in the night of the 4th of December, and on 
the morning of the 5th received a message from General 
Burnside that Long's cavalry had arrived in season, and 
that all was well. The forced march was continued to 
Marysville, where a stafi-oflicer of General Burnside 
arrived on the evening of the 5th, with the announce- 
ment that Longstreet had raised the siege the night 
before. 

General Sherman now sent forward Granger's two 
divisions to Knoxville, and at once ordered the remainder 
of his gallant army to halt and rest, for their work was 
done. For himself, he went to Knoxville ; and, having 
found every thing safe there, returned leisurely with his 
army, except Granger's divisions, to Chattanooga. The 



128 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

three months which had elapsed since they left Yicksbiirg 
had been passed in a campaign unparalleled in the history 
of war. Without a moment's rest, after a march of four 
hundred miles, without sleep for three successive nights, 
they crossed the Tennessee river, fought their part in 
the battles of Chattanooga, pursued the enemy out oi 
Tenesssee, then turned north more than a hundred miles, 
and compelled Longstreet to raise the siege of Knox- 
ville. These marches had been made much of the time 
without regular rations or supplies of any kind, through 
mud and over rocks, sometimes barefooted, and in a 
mountainous region, in the depth of winter, without a 
murmur. 

It is related of one of these veteran heroes, that after 
his return to Chattanooga, he was, in passing through 
the camps, challenged by a sentinel belonging to the 
Eleventh corps, and made answer that he " belonged to 
the Fifteenth corps." " Where's your badge ?" asked 
the sentry. "What badge?" inquired the veteran. 
"The badge of your corps. We wear a crescent to 
designate our corps." " Badge ?" answered the hero. 
" Oh yes ! Forty rounds of ammunition in our cartridge 
boxes ; sixty rounds in our pockets ; a march from Mem- 
phis to Chattanooga ; a battle and pursuit ; another march 
to Knoxville ; and victory everywhere. That's all the 
badge we want." 

General Sherman possesses a highly cultivated mind, 
well trained by study and observation in a wider range 
of topics than usually come within the scope of military 
men ; and in his letters and reports the evidences of this 
thorough and thoughtful culture are often noticeable, a 
single ex23ression sometimes embodying some great prin- 
ciple on which Yattel, Montesquieu, or Jomini would 
have expended a hundred pages. We shall see instances 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 129 

of this further on. In all matters of military law, prin- 
ciple, or custom he displays a profound knowledge, and 
a facility in ap[)lying them to existing cases which few 
military writers have possessed. His letters on the proper 
treatment of disloyal people in conquered territory are 
models of mihtary learning and judicial ability, and will 
in all the future be quoted as authorities. One of these, 
addressed to Assistant Adjutant-General Sawyer at 
Huntsville, Alabama, and bearing date Jan. 24th, 1864, 
is so clear and satisfactory in its enunciation of the posi- 
tion of our government in relation to these disloyal resi- 
dents, that we cannot forbear quoting a considerable 
portion of it. 

After citing historical precedents, and the authority of 
Napoleon and William of Orange, for his views, he pro- 
ceeds to say : 

" The war which now prevails in our land is essentially 
a war of races. The Southern people entered into a 
clear compact of government, but still maintained a 
species of separate interests, history, and prejudices. 
These latter became stronger and stronger, till they 
have led to a war which has developed fruits of the bit- 
terest kind. 

" We of the North are, beyond all question, right in 
our lawful cause, but we are not bound to ignore the 
fact that the people of the South have prejudices, which 
form a part of their nature, and which they cannot throw 
off without an effort of reason, or the slower process of 
natural change. Now, the question arises, should we 
treat as absolute enemies all in the South who differ from 
us in opinion or prejudice, — kill or banish them ? or 
should we give them time to think and gradually change 
their conduct, so as to conform to the new order of 



130 OUR GKEAT CAPTAINS. 

things, which is slowly and gradually creeping into their 
country ? 

"When men take arms to resist our rightful au- 
thority, we are compelled to use force, because all rea- 
son and argument cease when arms are resorted to. 
When the provisions, forage, horses, mules, wagons, &c., 
are used by our enemy, it is clearly our duty and right 
to take them, because otherwise they might be used 
against us. 

"In like manner, all houses left vacant by an inimical 
people are clearly our right, or such as are needed as 
storehouses, hospitals, and quarters. But a question 
arises as to dwellings used by women, children, and non- 
combatants. So long as non-combatants remain iii their 
houses, and keep to their accustomed business, their 
opinions and prejudices can in no wise influence the war, 
and, therefore, should not be noticed. But if any one 
comes out into the public streets and creates disorder, 
he or she should be punished, restrained, or banished, 
either to the rear or front, as the ofiicer in command ad- 
judges. If the people, or any of them, keep up a cor- 
respondence with parties in hostility, they are spies, and 
can be punished with death, or minor punishment. 

" These are well-established principles of war, and the 
people of the South, having appealed to war, are barred 
from appealing to our Constitution, which they have 
practically and publicly defied. They have appealed to 
war, and must abide its rules and laws. The United 
States, as a belligerent party claiming right in the soil as 
the ultimate sovereign, have a right to change the popu- 
lation, and it may be, and is, both poHtic and just, we 
should do so in certain districts. When the inhabitants 
persist too long in hostility, it may be both politic and 
right that we should banish them and appropriate their 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 



131 



lands to a more loyal and useful population. No man will 
deny that the United States would be benefited by dis- 
possessing a single prejudiced, hard-headed, and disloyal 
planter, and substituting in his place a dozen or more 
patient, indtistrioiis, good families, even if they be of 
foreign birth. I think it does good to present this view 
of the case to many Southern gentlemen, who grew rich 
and wealthy, not by virtue alone of their industry and 
skill, but by reason of the protection and impetus to 
prosperity given by our hitherto moderate and magnan- 
imous Government. It is all idle nonsense for these 
Southern planters to say that they made the South, that 
they own it, and that they can do as they please, — even 
to break up our Government, and to shut up the natural 
avenues of trade, intercourse, and commerce. 

% Hs * Hs Hj 

"Whilst I assert for our Government the highest 
military prerogatives, I am willing to bear in patience 
that political nonsense of slave-rights. State rights, free- 
dom of conscience, freedom of press, and such other 
trash, as have deluded the Southern people into war, 
anarchy, and bloodshed, and the foulest crimes that have 
disgraced any time or any people. 

"I would advise the commanding officers at Hunts- 
ville, and such other towns as are occupied by our troops, 
to assemble the inhabitants and explain to them these 
plain, self-evident propositions, and tell them that it is 
for them now to say whether they and their children 
shall inherit the beautiful land which by the accident of 
nature has fallen to their share. The Government of 
the United States has in North Alabama any and all 
rights which they choose to enforce in war, — to take 
their lives, their homes, their lands, their every thing ; 
because they cannot deny that war does exist there ; 



132 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

and war is simply power, unrestrained by Constitution 
or compact. If they want eternal war, well and good ; 
we will accept the issue and dispossess them and put our 
friends in possession. I know thousands and millions of 
good people who, at simple notice, would come to North 
Alabama and accept the elegant houses and plantations 
now there. If the people of Huntsville think differently, 
let them persist in war three years longer, and then 
they will not be consulted. Three years ago, by a little 
reflection and patience, they could have had a hundred 
years of peace and prosperity, but they preferred war. 
Very well. Last year they could have saved their 
slaves, but now it is too late ; all the powers of earth 
cannot restore to them their slaves, any more than their 
dead grandfathers. Next year their lands will be taken, 
— for in war we can take them, and rightfully too, — and 
in another year they may beg in vain for their lives. A 
people who will persevere in Avar beyond a certain limit 
ought to know the consequences. Many, many people, 
with less pertinacity than the South, have been wiped 
out of national existence." 

The expedition of General Sherman into Central 
Mississippi was projected by that general, but sanc- 
tioned and ordered by General Grant. It was a grand 
conception, the marching a movable column of twenty- 
two thousand men, cut loose from any base, for a hun- 
dred and thirty miles through the enemy's country, and 
in modern times has hardly been surpassed except by 
Sherman himself in his later movements. That it failed 
of accomplishing all that was intended, and was in its 
results only a gigantic raid, carrying terror into the 
very heart of the Confederacy, and crippling the re« 
sources of the enemy beyond effectual reparation, was 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 1^3 

not the fault of General Sherman, but of the co-operat- 
ing cavalry force, which failed to make its movement at 
the proper time, and with the necessary resolution and 
energy to effect a junction which might have swept 
Mississippi and Alabama out of the grasp of the rebels. 

Bi-igadier-General W. S. Smith was ordered to leave 
Memphis on the 1st of February, with a force of 8,000 
cavahy, and move down the Mobile and Ohio railroad, 
from Corinth to Meridian, destroying the road as he 
went. At Meridian he was to form a junction with 
General Sherman, who left Yicksburg on the 3d of Feb- 
ruary, and marched eastward with a force of twenty 
thousand cavalry, twelve hundred infantry, and a train 
carrying twenty days' rations. General Smith failed to 
move at the proper time, and, indeed, did not leave 
Memphis till the 11th of February ; and the rebels, mean- 
time, had collected a sufficient force on his route to op- 
pose his progress, and induce him to turn back, after one 
or two skirmishes. Meantime, Slierman had performed 
his part of the expedition well. Moving directly across 
the State of Mississippi from Yicksbui-g, through CHn- 
ton, Jackson, Quitman, Enterprise, and Meridian, he 
encountered no formidable opposition, and destroyed the 
rebel communications and stores beyond their power to 
replace them, and brought off large numbers of the able- 
bodied negroes and their families from that region, the 
centre of the cotton-growing country, and great num- 
bers of horses, mules, and army wagons. Finding that 
General Smith would not probably effect a junction with 
him, he turned, his face westward from Meridian, after a 
stay of three or four days, meeting with no serious an- 
noyance from the rebels, who followed at a respectful 
distance. 

The purpose of the expedition was to cut off Mobile 
12 



134 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

fi-om Johnston, and so annoy, harass, and cut up Polk's 
force in Central Mississippi as to prevent its going to the 
relief^of Mobile, at which Farragut was pounding away 
with his fleet. The failure of General Smith to co-operate 
deranged this plan in part, and the assault on Mobile was 
necessarily postponed for the time. 

On the 12th of March, 1864, the general order of the 
War Department was issued, by virtue of which Lieu- 
tenant-General Grant was put in command of all the 
armies of the Union, and by the same order General 
Sherman was assigned to the command of the grand 
military division of the Mississippi, the position vacated 
by General Grant. This division included the depart- 
ments of the Ohio, the Cumberland, the Tennessee, and, 
for the time, Arkansas. The forces under his command 
numbered more than one hundred and fifty thousand 
men, and were to be still further increased. His subor- 
dinate commanders were General Thomas, at the head 
of the Army of the Cumberland, General McPherson, 
an accomplished ofticer, who succeeded him in the com- 
mand of the Army of the Tennessee, General Schofield, 
commanding the Army of the Ohio, General Hooker, 
commanding two corps from the Army of the Potomac, 
General Hurlbut, at the head of the large and efticient 
Sixteenth army corps, General Howard, previously of 
the Army of the Potomac, and General Logan, who 
commanded his own old corps, the Fifteenth ; and, be- 
sides these, nearly a score of able corps and division 
commanders, conspicuous for their ability in previous 
fields, — men like Stoneman, Kilpatrick, Palmer, Wood, 
Johnson, Davis, Rousseau, Newton, Geary, Williams, 
Baird, and Brannan. 

At an interview which General Sherman had with the 
lieutenant-general, within a week after his promotion, the 



GENERAL SHEKMAN. 135 

plans for the coming campaign were fully discussed, and 
it was agreed that a simultaneous forward movement of 
the Eastern and Western armies should be made early in 
May, the one having Richmond, and the other Atlanta, 
for its objective. Less than two months remained be- 
fore the time of making this movement, and in that time 
a vast amount of supplies must be sent forward to Chat- 
tanooga, sufficient for at least sixty days beyond the cur- 
rent expenditure of the army ; arms, ammunition, and 
cannon must be collected in immense quantities ; the 
scattered army corps concentrated at Chattanooga, and 
thoroughly reorganized and trained ; the cavalry re- 
mounted, and increased in numbers and efficiency, and 
all the details for a gigantic campaign completed. 
With that promptness and celerity which has uni- 
formly charactei-ized his operations. General Sherman, 
while visiting all the posts and garrisons of his com- 
mand, took measures to perfect all these arrangements, 
and accomplished them so thoroughly, that on the Vth 
of May he moved forward with his army from its several 
camps at Ringgold, Gordon's mill, and Red Clay. His 
grand army numbered ninety-eight thousand seven hun- 
dred and ninety-seven effective men, and two hundred 
and fifty-four pieces of artillery. It was divided as fol- 
lows: The Army of the Cumberland, Major-General 
Thomas commanding, sixty thousand seven hundred 
and seventy-three men, and one hundred and thirty 
guns ; the Army of the Tennessee, Major-General Mc- 
Pherson commanding, twenty-four thousand four hun- 
dred and sixty-five men, and ninety-six guns ; the Army 
of the Ohio, Major-General Schofield commanding, thir- 
teen thousand five hundred and fifly-nine men, and 
twenty-eight guns. Of these troops, six thousand one 
hundred and forty-nine were cavalry, four thousand four 



136 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

hundred and sixty artillery, and the remainder infantry. 
The force opposed to him consisted of Hardee's, Hood's, 
and Polk's corps, the whole under the command of 
General Joseph E. Johnston, and numbered, according to 
General Johnston's report, about forty-five thousand, 
of whom four thousand were cavalry. The rebels re- 
ceived during the campaign, according to the same re- 
port, reinforcements to the amount of about twenty-one 
thousand, of which nearly seven thousand were cavalry. 
Sherman's army received only a sufficient number of re- 
inforcements, and men returning from furlough and hos- 
pital, to keep his army about up to the original standard ; 
while Johnston represents the number of troops turned 
over to Hood as about six thousand greater than that 
with which he commenced the campaign, although he 
acknowledged a loss of about fifteen thousand previ- 
ous to the battles near Atlanta. 

The two armies were very differently situated in one 
respect. Johnston's, if compelled to fall back, would be 
only approaching nearer to his base of supplies ; while 
Sherman, already fully three hundred and fifty miles 
from his primary base at Louisville, and one hundred 
and seventy-five from his secondary base at Nashville, 
was compelled at every step forward to increase the dis- 
tance, while his lines of communication were one, or, for 
part of the way, two lines of railroad, and some slight as- 
sistance, at certain stages of river navigation, from the 
Tennessee river. To guard this long fine of communi- 
cations from the roving bands of rebel guerrillas, as well 
as the regular cavalry of the rebel army, was, in itself, no 
easy task, and by most generals would have been re- 
garded as entirely impracticable, while every stage of 
progress towards his objective, one hundred and thirty 
miles distant from Chattanooga, only fidded to his difii- 



GENERAL SHEKMAN. 137 

culties. The rebel authorities constantly prophesied his 
litter discomfiture from this cause alone, and continually 
declared, till the phrase became a by-word, that they 
had " now got Sherman just where they wanted him." 
Yet it is one of the best evidences of his skilful general- 
ship that, during a campaign of more than five months, 
General Sherman kept this line of nearly fiye hundred 
miles of communications wholly within his own control, 
and, with rare ability, turned every effort of the enemy 
to sever or destroy his lines to their own signal disad- 
vantage. 

The portion of Northern Georgia through which 
General Sherman must necessarily penetrate in order to 
reach Atlanta, the goal of his hopes, is characterized by 
peculiar topographical features. Parallel ridges of hills 
of considerable height, and with bold rugged faces and 
narrow and steej) defiles, with valleys often gloomy and 
dark, threaded by rapid and generally deep streams, 
extend from north to south, broken through, in an east 
and west line only, by the Coosa river and its principal 
affluent, the Etowah. South of this latter river the 
country is somewhat more open, though broken by 
isolated peaks and narrow passes, and presenting a 
rough and difficult region for military movements. The 
route of the Chattanooga and Atlanta railroad was 
through several of these mountain passes or gaps ; and 
these, in addition to their great natural strength, had 
been carefully fortified, and were impregnable to an at- 
tack in front. General Johnston, an officer inferior in 
ability to no one in the rebel army, had made the most 
herculean exertions to prepare against every possible 
contingency of attack from the Union forces, and 
throughout the campaign displayed extraordinary skill 
in failing back, when compelled to retreat from one 
13* 



138 . OITR GREAT CAPTAIN'S. 

Stronghold to another, in such a way as to lose neither 
prisoners nor material. 

The first point to be carried was Dalton, a position of 
great strength, occupied by a part of Johnston's force, 
which extended to Buzzard's Roost gap, a high and 
narrow defile in the Great Rocky-faced Ridge, a spur 
from the Cbattoogata mountain. This defile, which was 
protected by a strong abatis, artificially flooded with the ' 
waters of Mill creek, and commanded by batteries which 
swept every foot of it, was the only gateway to Dalton 
from the northwest, and through it the railway passed. 
General Sherman sent McPherson's troops, by way of 
Snake Creek gap, towards Resaca, a town lying on the 
railroad, eighteen miles below Dalton, and subsequently 
(on the 10th of May) ordered Hooker's and Palmer's 
corps, and Schofield's Army of the Ohio (Twenty-third 
corps), to follow ; while Thomas, at first with his whole 
army, and subsequently with Howard's corps, demon- 
strated vigorously against Buzzard Roost gap. Johnston, 
finding that he was outflanked, fell back over a good 
road to Resaca, which he reached before McPherson had 
been able to attack; and Howard, passing the gap, entered 
Dalton and pressed on Johnston's rear. Arrived at 
Resaca, and occupying a strong position, Johnston pre- 
pared to give battle ; but while preparing to gratify him 
with a fight. General Sherman had pontooned the Oosta- 
naula, which flows south of Resaca, and sent Sweeney's 
division forward to threaten Calhoun, the next point of 
importance on the railroad, while he dispatched also a 
cavalry division to break the railroad still further south, 
between Calhoun and Kingston, thus compelling a 
further retreat in any event. On the 14th, there was 
heavy fighting in front of Resaca, without any perceptible 
advantage being gained by the Union troops, but on the 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 139 

lotli the attack was renewed, and Hookei-'s corps gained 
one of Johnston's strongest positions, capturing four guns 
and many prisoners. That niglit, Johnston ascertaining the 
danger of being flanked, escaped with his army, burning 
the bridge over the Oostanaula behind him. 

The losses of the Union army in these battles had been 
heavy, nearly 5,000, a large proportion of whom, how- 
ever, were but slighty wounded, and soon returned to 
duty. Johnston's loss was not far from 3,500, a thou- 
sand of whom were prisoners, eight guns, and a consider- 
able amount of stores. After the evacuation, Sherman 
pressed on in pursuit, detaching, on the 17th, Jefi'erson 
C. Davis's division of the Fourteenth corps to Rome, 
which was captured and garrisoned. The rebel army 
was overtaken at Adairsville, and a sharp artillery en- 
gagement ensued, when they continued their retreat; 
and on the 18th, after some heavy skirmishing, Johnston 
crossed the Etowah, and Kingston fell into Sherman's 
hands, and he gave his troops a few days of needed rest, 
while he superintended the repair of the railroads, the 
reopening communications to the Chattanooga, and the 
bringing forward of supplies for his army. 

On the 23d of May, having supplied his men with 
twenty days' rations, General Sherman moved forward, 
this time leaving the route of the railroad, which, just 
after crossing the Etowah, entered a long and dangerous 
defile known as Allatoona Pass, and turning directly 
soJthward, advanced towards Dallas, which would en 
able him to flank the pass. Johnston, in order to pro- 
tect his railroad communication, was compelled to leave 
his fortified lines and advance upon Sherman's army. 
His cavalry first came in collision with Hooker's corps 
at Burnt Hickory, on the 24th ; and on the 25th again 
at Pumpkinvine creek, which ended in a general though 



14:0 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

compelled him to cross, which he did in good order, pro- 
tecting his crossing by a strong tUe-du-pont. On the 
7th of July, General Schofield effected a strong and com- 
manding lodgment on the east bank of the river, sur- 
prising the rebel guard, capturing a gun, and laying a 
good pontoon and trestle-work bridge, and two days 
later, General Sherman had secured three good points 
for passing the river ; and Johnston, who till that time 
had held his position on the river-bank, now found him- 
self compelled to fall back to Atlanta, and leave Sher- 
man indisputable master of the Chattahoochie. Atlanta 
was but eight miles distant, and strong as it undoubtedly 
was, General Sherman was determined to capture it. 
But first he found it necessary to give his troops a little 
rest ; and meanwhile he put in operation a plan for cut- 
ting off Johnston's supplies, which was characteristic as 
showing the mental grasp and far-reaching foresight of 
the man in all military movements. He knew that when 
Johnston had crossed the Chattahoochie his supplies 
must come mainly from the direction of the Montgomery, 
Atlanta, and West Point railroad, as Central and South- 
ern Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi were the source 
from which the beef, pork, and corn were derived. 
Foreseeing that he should drive him to Atlanta, he had 
collected a force of two thousand cavalry, well-appointed, 
at Decatur, Alabama, more than two hundred miles in 
his rear, and had sent them orders, on receiving notice 
by telegraph, to push immediately south, and break the 
railroad from Montgomery, at Opelika, and as far as pos- 
sible east and west from that point, and then move on to 
join him at Marietta. This would also prevent Johnston 
from receiving reinforcements from Mobile or other 
points west. The order was given on the 9th, and the 
cavalry, under the command of the gallant Rousseau, 



aENERAL SHERMAN. 141 

a strongly intrenched line between Kenesaw and Lost 
mountains. Pressing him again, and assaulting his lines, 
General Sherman compelled him to give up Lost moun- 
tain, and the works connecting it with Kenesaw ; and, 
as the Union array still crowded upon him, he partially 
changed his position, and making Kenesaw his salient, 
covered Marietta with his right wing, and intrenched his 
left behind Nose's creek, thus securing his railroad line. 
Still the relentless pressure continued, the crossing of 
the Chattahoochie, near Sandtown, being threatened. 
On the 2 2d, Hood's corps sallied and assaulted the 
Union lines, but were repulsed with heavy loss, some 
seven or eight hundred being killed, wounded, or cap- 
tured. The time had come when Sherman must either 
assault Johnston's position, or again make the effort to 
outflank him ; and believing that the effect of an assault, 
even if repulsed, would be better on the morale of his 
army than a flank movement at that time, he ordered an 
assault at two points on the 27th. It was repulsed by 
the rebels with great loss on the part of Sherman's army 
in killed and wounded, nearly three thousand being put 
hors de cotnhat^ while the enemy, being behind their in- 
trenchments, received but little damage. The Union 
troops were not, however, in the least disheartened, and 
Sherman, by a skilful manoeuvre (throwing McPherson's 
entire corps forward towards the Chattahoochie), com- 
pelled the evacuation of Marietta on the 2d of July, and 
the Union army entered it next morning. He at once 
moved upon the enemy, hoping to find him in confusion 
in the crossing of the Chattahoochie ; but the rebel com- 
mander had provided well against any chances of danger, 
and remained strongly intrenched on the west bank of 
the river till the 5th of July, when another flank move- 
ment of Sherman, accompanied by active skirmishing, 



142 OUB GREAT CAPTAINS. 

not severe engagement near Dallas. Then followed, the 
same day, the severe struggle near New Hope church, 
with heavy losses on both sides ; and after three days' 
skirmishing and manceuvring, the bold and daring as- 
sault of Johnston on McPherson at Dallas on the 28th, 
which resulted in the repulse of the rebels with fearful 
slaughter, their loss being over three thousand, and 
McPherson's less than one thousand. During these four 
days of battle, Sherman had been extending his lines to 
the left to envelop the r-ebel right, and occupied all the 
roads leading eastward to Allatoona and Ackworth. 
After the bloody battle at Dallas, General Sherman sent 
his cavalry to seize and occupy Allatoona Pass, in the mean 
time making demonstrations looking to a further move- 
ment southward; but on the 1st of June he pushed 
McPherson rapidly to the left, and reached Ackworth. 
Johnston sullenly abandoned his position at New Hope 
church, and on the 4th of June fell back to Kenesaw 
mountain. General Sherman now examined Allatoona 
Pass in person, and finding it admirably adapted for a 
secondary base, which he needed in that vicinity, had it 
fortified and garrisoned, and the railroad communications 
repaired, and on the 9th of June full suppUes were 
brought into his camp from Chattanooga by rail. Re- 
ceiving reinforcements here, he moved forward, and be- 
gan again to press Johnston in his strongly fortified po- 
sition, extending in a triangle, and covering the northern 
slopes of Pine, Kenesaw, and Lost mountains. On the 
11th of June ho made his dispositions to break the rebel 
line between Kenesaw and Pine mountains. There was 
considerable artillery practice for several days, and on 
the 14th the rebel General Polk was killed. 

On the morning of the 15th it was found that General 
Johnston had abandoned Pine mountain, and maintained 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 143 

marched at once, and within twelve days had broken up 
thirty miles of the raih-oad, defeated the rebel General 
Clan ton, and reached Marietta on the 22d, with a loss of 
only thirty men. Roswell, and the extensive factories of 
army clothing for the rebels there, were burned on the 
Vth of July. 

On the 17th of July, the grand army moved forward, 
and formed its lines on the Peach-tree road ; and while 
Thomas was crossing Peach-tree creek in force by means 
of numerous bridges, thrown over in face of the enemy's 
intrenched lines, McPherson and Schofield had swung 
round upon the Augusta railroad, beyond Decatur, and 
broken it effectually. There was heavy fighting daily 
during these movements, and, on the 20th of July, Gen- 
eral Hood (who had succeeded Johnston in the command 
of the rebel army on the 17th) made a sudden and des- 
perate assault upon the Union lines, aiming to take 
advantage of a gap between Newton's division, of How- 
ard's corps, and Johnson's, of Palmer's corps. These 
two divisions, and the remainder of Hooker's corps, sus- 
tained the full brunt of the attack of Hood's entire army, 
and after a terrible battle drove the enemy back to his 
intrenchments, with a loss of full five thousand men, 
while the Union loss was only seventeen hundred and 
thirty-three, which fell almost entirely on Hooker's corps, 
all of which, except Newton's corps, w^ent into the fight 
without their usual intrenchments. On the 2 2d, Hood 
having fallen back from his line of defence along Peach- 
tree creek to his final interior position of redoubts, form- 
ing the outer line of the defences of Atlanta proper, 
resolved to stake all upon a single die, and putting- 
force enough into his intrenchments to hold them, 
massed all the rest of his army, and hurled it with terri- 
ble force against Sherman's left. At first a part of the 



Itttt OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

Union lines gave way, for McPherson's position was 
not fully established ; but they soon rallied, and grew 
stronger under the assaults of the enemy. Six times did 
Hood fling his massed columns on the Union lines, at- 
tacking in turn the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth 
corps, but at night, after one of the bloodiest and most 
skilfully fought battles of the war, victory perched 
on the Union banners. Thirty-two hundred and forty of 
the enemy's dead, a vast number of his wounded, and 
ten hundred and seventeen unhurt prisoners fell into the 
hands of the- Union troops. Hood's entire loss could 
not have been less than twelve thousand. Five thousand 
stand of arms, and eighteen stand of colors were cap- 
tured. The Union loss, by oflficial count, was seventeen 
hundred and twenty-two ; but among the slain was 
Major-General James B. McPherson, the commander of 
the Army of the Tennessee, and one of the ablest and 
most skilful officers in the Union service. His loss was 
a great national misfortune ; and none felt it more deeply 
than General Sherman. On receiving intelligence of his 
death, he was affected to tears, and in his report he al- 
ludes to it in terms which show how tenderly he loved 
him. "He was," he says, "a noble youth, of striking 
personal appearance, of the highest professional capacity, 
and with a heart abounding in kindness, that drew to 
him the affections of all men." 

General Sherman had on the 21st sent General Gar- 
rard with a cavalry force to break the Augusta railroad, 
and destroy the bridges over the Yellow and Ulcofau- 
hatchee rivers in the vicinity of Covington, Georgia ; and 
on the 23d he returned, having completely accompHshed 
that work, and, in addition, burned a train of cars, 
2,000 bales of cotton, and large amounts of stores at 
Covington and Conyer's station, and brought in 200 



GENEEAL SHERMAN. 145 

prisoners. General Sherman now planned a more ex- 
tensive expedition, having for its object the destruction 
of the Atlanta and Macon as well as the West Point 
railroad, his intention being to isolate Atlanta from all its 
communications, and thus compel its surrender. The 
expedition was to consist of two columns, one of 5,000 
cavalry, under the command of General Stoneman, a 
cavalry officer of high reputation, the other of 4,000 
mounted troops, under command of General McCook. 
They were to move off in different directions, one to. 
wards McDonough, the other towards Fayetteville, and 
having done what they could separately, unite at or near 
Lovejoy's station, and destroy the Macon road thoroughly 
for many miles. General Stoneman asked permission, 
after this was accomplished, to take his own proper com- 
mand, and go on to release the Union prisorfers, then 
suffering at Andersonville. General McCook performed 
his part of the work speedily and well, but from some 
unexplained cause. General Stoneman failed completely, 
and was himself taken prisoner with several hundred of 
his men, and McCook was placed in a critical position, 
and compelled to fight his way out. The whole expedi- 
tion proved a failure, and lost to the commanding gen- 
eral a very considerable portion of his cavalry, which he 
could not well afford to lose. 

On the 28th of July, Hood, having been led by the 
purposed movements of the Union troops of the Fifteenth 
corps to believe that he could catch the right flank of the 
army " in air," again massed his forces, and assaulted 
that part of the Union lines with the utmost desperation, 
repeating his assaults six times, but found the Union forces 
perfectly ready for him on each occasion, his men only 
reaching their lines to be killed or hauled over as pris- 
oners. His loss in that battle was fully 5,000, while Lo- 
13 



146 OUR GREAT CAPTAIN'S. 

gan, whose corps was the one principally engaged, lost 
less than GOO. In the three battles of the 20th, 22<1, and 
28th of July, Hood had thus nearly one half of his force 
thrown hors da combat, for Johnston states in his report 
that the troops he transferred to him on the 17th of July 
consisted of about 41,000 infantry and artillery, and 10,000 
cavaby. He received, however, about this time a con- 
siderable reinforcement of the Georgia militia, who, 
though of little value for purposes of assault, were ser- 
viceable as garrison troops, and mingled with his veter- 
ans, who had no appetite for further offensive warfare, 
lay safely ensconced behind the impregnable defences of 
Atlanta. 

General Sherman now extended his lines southwest- 
ward towards East Point, in the hope of drawing the 
enemy out, from the fear of having his communications 
severed ; but Hood extended his fortified line correspond- 
ingly, and refused to abandon his works. It began to 
be evident that Atlanta could only be captured by 
another flank movement of tlie whole army, a matter of 
great difficulty, as it involved the apparent raising of the 
siege, and the dependence of his army for supplies on the 
stores accumulated at Marietta, from which he must 
necessarily be separated by the Chattahoochie river, and 
a considerable distance of travel over bad roads. He 
therefore resolved to try first the expedient of a bom- 
bardment of the city, and, if unsuccessful in that, to try 
again the flanking process. Just at this juncture, he 
learned that the rebel General Wheeler with tlie greater 
part of Hood's cavalry had gone northward to attack his 
communications between Allatoona and Chattanooga, 
and as he had abundant supplies below that point, he 
welcomed this movement as taking the rebel cavalry out 
of the way, and leaving him a fair field. He now dis- 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 147 

patched Kilpatrick with 5,000 cavah-y to break the 
West Point and Macon raih'oads so thoroughly as to ren- 
der them impassable. This, General Kilpatrick attempted 
to do, but in the haste with which he operated, he did 
not disable the roads sufficiently to prevent their speedy 
repair, and General Sherman found it necessary to move 
his whole army. Accordingly, on the night of the 25th 
of August he commenced the movement, sending the 
Twentieth corps, now under the command of General H. 
S. Williams, back to the Chattahoochie, and with it all sur- 
plus wagons, ambulances, and incumbrances of all kinds, 
as well as all the sick and wounded, who were carefully 
placed within the strongly intrenched position there. 
Schofield remained in position, and the Army of the Ten- 
nessee moved westward towards Sandtown and Camp 
creek, as if about to cross the Chattahoochie, while the 
the Army of the Cumberland proceeded in the same di- 
rection, though not so far. Hood congratulated bis 
troops that the siege of Atlanta was raised, and that the 
Union army, alarmed for its communications, menaced 
by Wheeler, was about to turn back to rescue them. 
On the night of the 27th, Sherman's troops had reached 
the West Point railroad, in the vicinity of East Point 
and below, and the 28th was devoted to the destruction 
of that road, twelve and a half miles of which were so ef- 
fectually obliterated, that there was no danger of their be- 
ing renewed for months, and on the 29th, the army was 
directed to move on the Macon road, and when opportu- 
nity occurred, destroy that in the same way. They 
marched in three columns, and on the 29th, 30th, and 
31st, had considerable skirmishing with Lee's and Har- 
dee's corps, which Hood had sent to oppose them as 
soon as he found that it was his communications in- 
stead of their own that the Union troops were bent on 



1^8 OUli GREAT CAPTAINS. 

occupying. General Howard had some fighting (he was 
now in command of the Army of the Tennessee) on the 
afternoon of the 30th with the rebel cavalry; and on the 
31st, Lee and Hardee attacked him in his temporary in- 
trenchments, near Jonesboro, and were repulsed with a 
loss of not less than twenty-five hundred. On the 1st of 
September, the Macon railroad was destroyed for several 
miles, and General J. C. Davis, supported by HowaVd 
and Blair, assaulted Lee and Hardee, and defeated them, 
capturing one brigade and two four-gun batteries. The 
next day they pursued the enemy as far as Lovejoy's 
station. 

Meanwhile, on the night of the first of September, 
Hood blew up his ammunition trains, and retreated south- 
ward from Atlanta, which was occupied the next day by 
the Twentieth corps. The remainder of the army came 
back by easy marches to Atlanta, and General Sherman, 
having determined to make Atlanta a strictly military 
post, directed the removal of all the civilians fr.om it, 
sending those Avho were loyal northward, and turning 
the disloyal over to General Hood, with such precau- 
tions for the prevention of suffering as could be devised. 

Hood, smarting under a sense of being thoroughly 
outgeneralled, was exceedingly restive, and determined 
to revenge himself on his skilful antagonist. The loss of 
Atlanta was a severe one to the leaders of the self-styled 
Confederacy, and they, too, were determined that they 
would not only win it back, but would recover Northern 
Georgia and East and Middle Tennessee. The rebel 
president, in a speech delivered at Macon in the latter 
part of September, declared that this should be accom- 
plished, and gave his instructions to General Hood for 
effecting it. On the 24th of September, Hood suddenly 
transferred his army, which had been encamped near 




ABBR EVIATI 0NS8cC. 

TH THOMAS 

NC.P....MACPHEHSON 

SCH SCHOFIELD 

HO HOWARD 

H HOOKER 

^..- PEBELWORKS 



13* 



150 OUR GKKAT CAPTAINS. 

Lovejoy's station on the Macon railroad, to IsTewnan on 
tlie West Point road. Sherman kept a watchful eye 
upon his movements, and reconnoitred frequently in his 
vicinity. On the 27th of September, he discovered that 
he was moving towards the Chattahoochie ; and on the 
1st of October, that he had crossed that river and concen- 
trated his forces at Powder Springs, near Dallas, Ga. 
On the 3d of October, General Sherman, who had previ- 
ously strengthened his garrisons along the railroad, 
started in pursuit, and on the 5th, when Hood's advance 
assaulted Allatoona, he was on Kenesaw mountain, signal- 
ling to the garrison at Allatoona, over the heads of the 
enemy, to hold out till he relieved them. The rebels 
were repulsed at this point with heavy loss, and finding 
themselves pressed in the rear by Sherman's forces, they 
moved westward, and crossing the Etowah and Oosta- 
naula rivers by forced marches, attacked Dalton on the 
12th, which was surrendered by the cowardly officer in 
command. Finding himself still pressed by Sherman, 
Hood obstructed Snake Creek gap, and crossing through 
the gap in Pigeon mountain, entered Lafayette, whither 
Sherman followed and sought to bring on a battle. This 
Hood was not anxious for, and he accordingly retreated 
southward to Gadsden, Ala., where he intrenched him- 
self, taking possession of Will's Creek gap in Lookout 
mountain. Sherman followed him to Gaylesville, but no 
further. 

It was generally supposed that this was the end of 
Hood's raid upon the Union lines of communication, and 
that he would retreat still further south, towards central 
Alabama and Mississippi. But Sherman had better com- 
prehended his strategy, and was prepared to meet it by 
a stroke of counter-strategy, evincing his possession of 
the highest order of military genius. He knew that 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 151 

Dick Taylor had moved up to Tusciimbia, Alabama, and 
reasoned that Hood would join him, and the two, serving 
under Beauregai'd would strike a blow ere long for the 
recovery of Middle Tennessee ; and if successful, then 
for East Tennessee also. But he felt that Tennessee 
would be safe in charge of his trusty lieutenant. General 
Thomas, to whom he could assign a force sufficient to 
grapple with Hood, Taylor, or Beauregard ; while for 
hinlself he had projected a campaign which would speedily 
cripple the power of the rebels. Turning eastward 
then from Gaylesville, he announced to his army that he 
should follow Hood no longer, but let him go north as 
far as he please.d. " If he will go to the river," he said, 
" I will give him his rations." Giving his instructions to 
General Thomas, and dividing his army so as to spare 
him a part of the Army of the Cumloerland and the 
Army of the Ohio, he moved southeast towards Atlanta 
by the 1st of jSTovember, causing the railroad track to be 
removed from Atlanta to Chattanooga, and sent to the 
latter city, — the property of value at Atlanta and along 
the Hne having been first sent to Chattanooga, which 
thenceforward became the outpost of the Union armies 
in that direction. On the 4th of November he began 
his preparations for his new movement, and the same 
day telegraphed his intentions to Washington, in the 
following words: "Hood has crossed the Tennessee. 
Thomas will take care of him and Nashville, while 
Schofield will not let hitn into Chattanooga orKnoxviile. 
Geoigia and South CaroUna are at my mercy — and I 
shall strike. Do not be anxious about me. I am all 
right." The campaign he had projected was neither 
more nor less than this. With the four corps, and the 
fine cavalry force still under his immediate command, an 
army of not far from sixty thousand infantry and artillery, 



152 



OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 



and about ten thousand cavalry, he purposed cutting 
loose from all bases, and constituting a strictly movable 
column, with thirty or forty days' rations, and his train 
reduced to the smallest possible dimensions, to move 
south-eastward, through the heart of the enemy's coun- 
try, upon Savannah ; and thence, should circumstances 
favor, northward through South Carolina and North 
Carolina, to compel the surrender or evacuation of Rich- 
mond. The project was one of the most magnificent 
ever conceived by a military commander. The distances 
were great, and the obstacles which might be interposed 
unknown ; yet, impelled by a will " that could greatly 
dare and do," while adopting all needful precautions 
against surprise or disaster, he moved forward boldly to 
the execution of his plan. As a preliminary step, be 
deemed it necessary to destroy all the public buildings in 
Atlanta. He then moved forward in two columns. Gen- 
eral Howard commanding the right and General Slocum 
the left, while his cavalry covered his flanks, and a part 
of it now in advance, and now far in rear, mystified the 
enemy continually as to his intentions. 

General Howard's column moved through East Point, 
Rough and Ready, Griffin, Jonesboro, McDonough, For- 
syth e, HiUsboro, Monticello, and bridging the Ocmulgee 
entered Milledgeville on the 20th of November. Here 
General Sherman made his headquarters for a few days, 
while Howard moved on through Saundersville, Gris- 
wold, towards Louisville, the point of rendezvous, with 
the left w^ing. That wing, under the command of Gen- 
eral Slocum, had meantime passed through Decatur, 
Covingtj^n, Social Circle, Madison ; made a feint of an 
attack upon Macon ; passed through Buckhead and 
Queensboro, and dividing, one detachment moved to- 
wards Augusta, and the other to Eatonton and Sparta. 



154 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

Uniting again, they entered Warrenton, and thence 
moved to Louisville, where they joined the right wing; 
and passing down the left bank of the Ogeechee to Mil- 
len, and thence to the Savannah canal, where on the 9th 
of December, by means of scouts, they communicated 
with General Foster and Admiral Dahlgren, who had 
been awaiting their arrival. In this whole march of 
about 300 miles neither of the main columns had en- 
countered any serious opposition. There had been oc- 
casional skii-mishing, but with very slight results. The 
cavalry had had one or two conflicts with Wheeler's 
cavalry, but had repulsed them after a brief fight. The 
rebels had concentrated what troops they could, includ- 
ing militia and conscripts, into their service to oppose 
the daring march of Sherman ; but they were not able to 
assemble enough of these to oppose any considerable re- 
sistance to his progress, and from his feints upon Augusta 
and Macon they were led to throw them into those cities, 
where they were completely out of his way. Bragg, who 
was in command of these troops, was thus beguiled into 
remaining at Augusta, and thus when Savannah was ac- 
tually assailed could not come to its relief. On the 13th 
of December, General Sherman carried Fort McAllister 
by storm. By some strange oversight on the part of 
General Hardee, who was in command at Savannah, it 
had a garrison of only one hundred and fifty men. By 
the capture of this fort. General Siierman could commu- 
nicate directly with the fleet. On the 16th he summoned 
the city of Savannah to surrender. General Hardee re- 
plied, refusing, and announcing his determination to hold 
the city to the last. Thereupon Sherman commenced 
investing the city, and bringing heavy siege-guns into 
position, he was prepared to commence its bombard- 
ment, his lines inclosing it on all sides, except the north 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 155 

and east, where the river and the Union causeway lead- 
ing to Charleston were not yet fully commanded by his 
fire. On the afternoon of the 20th the rebel ironclads 
moved up the river, and commenced a furious fire on 
the Union left, supported by several of the rebel bat- 
teries. This fire was continued all night, and under 
cover of it Hardee escaped with his entire force, burning 
the navy yard partially, and destroying such stores as 
he could not remove. The two rebel ironclads were 
blown up during the night. The next morning (Dec. 
21st), General Sherman entered the city, w^hich was en- 
tirely uninjured. The captures included over one thou- 
sand prisoners, one hundred and fifty guns, thirteen lo- 
comotives, one hundred and ninety cars, a large supply 
of ammunition and materials of war, three steamers, and 
thirty-three thousand bales of cotton safely stored in 
warehouses. Over twenty thousand slaves, freed by the 
expedition, accompanied it to Savannah. The entire 
losses of the expedition were less than four hundred 
men. It had destroyed over two hundred miles of rail- 
road, and thus efi:ectually broken the enemy's communi- 
cations with Hood's or Beauregard's army in Alabama 
and Ten*nessee. Kilpatrick was sent at once on an ex- 
pedition with cavalry and infantry to destroy thoroughly 
the Gulf railroad, which he succeeded in doing for forty 
or fifty miles. Having reduced Savannah to order, and 
conciliated the inhabitants by his wise measures. General 
Sherman issued the following congratulatory order to his 
troops : 

" Headquarters, INIilitary Division of the Mississippi, { 
In the Field, Savannah, Ga., Jan. 8, 1865. J 

" Spesial Field Orders, No. 6. 

"The general commanding announces to the troops 

composing the Military Division of the Mississippi that 



156 OUK GREAT CAPTAINS. 

he has received from the President of the United States 
and from Lieutenant General Grant, letters conveying 
the high sense and appreciation of the campaign just 
closed, resulting in the capture of Savannah and the de- 
feat of Hood's army in Tennessee. 

In order that all may understand tlie importance of 
events, it is proper to revert to the situation of affairs in 
September last. We held Atlanta, a city of httle value 
to us, but so important to the enemy, that Mr. Davis, 
the head of the rebellious faction in the South, visited his 
army near Palmetto, and commanded it to regain it, as 
well as to ruin and destroy us by a series of measures 
which he thought would be effectual. 

That army, by a rapid march, first gained our rail- 
road near Big Shanty, and afterwards about Dalton. We 
pursued, but it marched so rapidly that we could not 
overtake it, and General Hood led his army successfully 
far towards Mississippi, in hopes to decoy us out of Geor- 
gia. But we were not then to be led away by him, and 
purposed to control events ourselves. Generals Thomas 
and Schofield, commanding the department to our rear, 
returned to their posts, and prepared to decoy General 
Plood into their meshes, while we came on to complete 
our original journey. 

We quietly and deliberately destroyed Atlanta and all 
the railroad which the enemy had used to carry on war 
against us ; occupied his State capital, and then captured 
his commercial capital, which had been so strongly forti- 
fied from the sea as to defy approach from that quarter. 

Almost at the moment of our victorious entry into 
Savannah came the welcome and expected news that our 
comrades in Tennessee had also fulfilled, nobly and well, 
their part ; had decoyed General Hood to Nashville, and 
then turned on him, defeating his army thoroughly, cap- 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 157 

turing all his artillery, great numbers of prisoners, and 
were still pursuing the fragments down into Alabama. 
So complete a success in military operations, extending 
over half a continent, is an achievement that entitles it 
to a place in the military history of the world. 

The armies serving in Georgia and Tennessee, as 
•well as the local garrisons of Decatur, Bridgeport, Chat- 
tanooga, and Murfreesboro, are alike entitled to the 
common honor, and each regiment may inscribe on its 
colors at pleasure the words " Savannah" or " Nashville." 

The general commanding embraces in the same 
general success the operations of the cavalry column, 
under Generals Stoneman, Burbridge, and Gillem, that 
penetrated into Southwestern Virginia, and paralyzed 
the efforts of the enemy to disturb the peace and safety 
of the people of East Tennessee. Instead of being put 
on the defensive, we have, at all points, assumed the 
bold offensive, and completely thwarted the designs of 
the enemies of our country. 

By order of 

Maj.-Gen. W. T. SHERMAN. 

L. W. Dayton, Aid-de-Camp. 

But his work was not yet completed. South Carolina 
was to be humbled, the surrender of Charleston, the 
" nest of the rebellion," compelled, Columbia to be cap- 
tured, and North Carolina to be occupied. His troops 
refreshed and recruited, and largely reinforced, he moved 
about the 14th of January, northward, the Fifteenth and 
Seventeenth corps going by transports to Beaufort, S. C, 
and thence joined by Foster's command, moving on the 
Savannah and Charleston railroad, and the Fourteenth 
and Twentieth corps, crossing the Savannah river a'few 
later. Delayed at first by the overflowing of the swamps 
from the heavy rains, and the terrible condition of the 

14 



158 OUK GREAT CAPTAINS. 

roads, lie struck the railroad between Branchville and 
Charleston, early in February, compelled the enemy to 
evacuate Branchville on the 11th of February, and broke 
up the South Carolina railroad, for sixty or seventy 
miles, thus preventing any reinforcement from the West, 
and moved north, entering Orangeburg on the 16th of 
February, and Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, 
on the 18th, Beauregard having evacuated it in great 
haste on his approach. Charleston being flanked by this 
movement, its evacuation was compelled without a fight, 
and Hardee retreated, after setting fire to the cotton, 
ammunition, &c., which caused a conflagration which laid 
two-thirds of the business portion of the city in ashes. On 
the morning of February 18th, the Union troops from 
Morris Island entered the city, and the stars and stripes 
once more floated over the ruins of Fort Sumter. 

From Columbia the Seventeenth and Twentieth corps 
moved in two columns upon Winnsboro, thirty miles north 
on the Columbia and Charlotte raih'oad, the Seventeenth 
destroying the railroad, and twisting the rails so that 
they could not be used again. From Winnsboro, 
where they found many of the refugees from Charleston 
and Columbia, General Sherman sent Kilpatrick's cav- 
alry still northward towards Chesterville, to keep up the 
delusion of Beauregard, who believed that he was mov- 
hig on Charlotte, and was laboring very diligently to 
obstruct his progress in that direction; but Sherman him- 

* The burning of a considerable portion of Columbia, which 
Wade Hampton charged upon General Sherman, was really the 
work of degraded camp followers, who had become drunk on 
whiskey furnished by the inhabitants. General Sherman exerted 
himself to the utmost to extinguish the flames, and about twenty 
of the soldiers of the right wing were killed or seriously injured 
in the eflbrt to arrest the conflagration. 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 159 

self with his main army moved directly eastward, crossing 
the Catawba or Wateree nearly east of Winnsboro, and 
moving his left wing directly towards Cheraw, while 
the right threatened Florence. It was w^hile in the vi- 
cinity of the Catawba that intelligence came of the evac- 
uation of Charleston as the result of Sherman's flanking 
movement, and great were the rejoicings of the army 
thereat. A heavy rain which came on at this time, and 
damaged General Howard's pontoons, occasioned some 
delay, and enabled the rebels to concentrate their forces 
at Cheraw and its vicinity. Thus far the Union army 
had encountered no serious opposition in its whole march 
from Savannah, and, indeed, had hardly seen any rebel 
troops; but now there seemed a prospect that the rebels 
would make a stand, and the Union leader, as cautious 
as enterprising and daring, made all preparations to avoid 
a surprise or repulse. The left wing had moved to Ches- 
terfield, northwest of Clieraw, while the right (Howard's), 
passing through Camden, and delayed one day by the 
injury to their pontoons, had found, on approaching within 
thirteen miles of Cheraw fom the southwest, the enemy's 
pickets in their front, and indications of a battle in reserve 
not far distant. They moved forward, however, after put- 
ting themselves in communication with the left wing, and 
on the 3d of March, after a short and not very severe battle, 
captured and occupied Cheraw, taking twenty-five pieces 
of cannon, and a large quantity of small-arms and ammuni- 
tion. The rebel force which opposed their progress 
proved not to be as large as was at first supposed, consist- 
ing of a division of Wade Hampton's cavalry, and the 
infantry which had been in Charleston. They fled most 
13recipitately across the Great Pedee, and could not get 
their cannon across, but succeeded in burning the bridge. 
On the next day (March 4th) the army celebrated Mr. 



160 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

Lincoln's second inauguration, firing a salute from the 
Blakely guns captured from the enemy. A part of these 
cannon, and a large amount of commissary stores, suffi- 
cient to supply nearly two corps of Sherman's army, had 
been brought from Charleston to Cheraw, as a place of 
safety. After leaving Columbia, the rapidly increasing 
mass of refugees, black and white, who followed the 
army, were organized into an emigrant train, and put 
under the charge of the officers and men who had escaped 
from the rebel prisons at Salisbury and elsewhere on 
the route. Under the direction of their escort they for- 
aged for themselves, and being supplied liberally with 
horses and mules, wagons and other vehicles, of which 
large numbers were taken along the route, they 
moved on with very little expense or trouble to the 
army. General Sherman had won the good-will of the 
negroes, both during this and his Savannah campaign, 
by his thoughtful interest in their welfare. On the route 
to Savannah, as well as in this campaign, he took great 
pains to make them understand that they were free, and 
to aid them in securing and maintaining their freedom. 
Consulting at Savannah their preachers and most intelli- 
gent men, as to the course best adapted to conduce to 
their future elevation and independence, he established 
colonies of them on the Sea-islands and the coast, where 
they could have their lands in fee-simple, and cultivate 
the Sea-island cotton and rice, and have schools and 
churches established for them ; and during his campaign 
northward he advised those who could to go to Charleston 
after its evacuation, and procure work, and commence 
the life of freemen. To those who followed the army in 
the emigrant train, he was uniformly kind, and on sev- 
eral occasions explained to them very clearly their new 
condition and responsibilities. The poor, ignorant, but 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 161 

truly loyal freedmen, looked upon him as almost a divinity; 
and it was to them, at all times, a sufficient reason for 
doing or abstaining from doing any thing, if they learned 
that " Massa Sherman" wished it. 

On the afternoon and night of the 6th of March, the 
Union army crossed the Great Pedee river in safety, and 
swept forward the next day, — the main army, in four 
columns, moving on Laurel Hill and Montpelier, North 
Carolina, and the cavalry, under Kilpatrick, guarding the 
extreme left, and approaching Rockingham, North Car- 
olina, where they came in contact with Butler's division 
of Wade Hampton's cavalry, which they repulsed with 
considerable loss. The four columns, with the cavalry, 
in moving from the Pedee, covered a belt of country 
forty miles in width. On the 8th the central columns 
entered Laurel Hill, N. C, and found the people of 
North Carolina much more favorably inclined towards 
the Union than those of South Carolina. The army now 
refrained from destroying every thing in their line of 
march, as th^ had done in South Carolina, and frater- 
nized to some extent with the inhabitants. On the 9th 
of March they crossed the Little Pedee, or Lumber 
creek, as it is called in the higher part of its course, and, 
owing to the snaggy condition of the stream, built 
bridges across, rather than use their pontoons. A long 
and heavy rain delayed somewhat their approach to 
Fayetteville, but that place was reached on the 11th of 
March. On the 10th the rebel General Hampton ap- 
proached, before daylight, Kilpatrick's headquarters, at 
Monroe's plantation, and at first captured his guns, and 
a considerable number of prisoners ; but Kilpatrick rallied 
his men, repulsed the enemy, recaptured his men and 
guns, and drove Hampton oif with severe loss. Sher- 
man here communicated with Schofield at Wilmington, 
14* 



l{)-3 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

and reported his army in fine condition, and his move- 
ment thus far without serious loss. Indeed his losses up 
to this time had been mostly in foragers, who had been 
pounced upon by Wade Hampton's cavalry, and mur- 
dered and mutilated in cold blood, after surrendering. 
Of these victims to brutality, there were nearly one hun- 
dred. General Sherman had some sharp correspondence 
with the rebel general on the subject, and declared his 
determination to retaliate unless these cowardly murders 
were stopped ; and Hampton, though making a bluster- 
ing reply, killed no more. Up to the date of his arrival 
at Fayetteville, the results of this campaign of Sherman 
had been : fourteen cities captured, hundreds of miles ot 
railroads and several thousands of bales of cotton de- 
stroyed ; eighty-five cannon, four thousand prisoners, 
and twenty-five thousand horses, mules, and cattle taken, 
and fifteen thousand refugees, black and white, set free. 
After a delay of two days at Fayetteville, General Sher- 
man again moved forward, the rebel General Bragg 
having meantime attacked Schofield at Kingston, and 
been defeated with heavy loss. General Sherman had 
fixed upon the vicinity of Goldsboro, as the place 
where he would form a junction with Schofield, and the 
22d of March as the time — before leaving Savannah — 
and having brought his army thus far in time, he was 
disposed to move with moderation, to allow Schofield 
time to reach the rendezvous. On the 15th of March 
Johnston attacked Kilpatrick's cavalry at Moore's cross- 
roads, about four miles from Averysboro, and at first 
pushed it back, with some loss ; but a division of the 
Fourteenth corps coming up, the Union troops held their 
position. The next day, March 16th, the Twentieth and 
Fourteenth corps attacked the rebels, who were in large 
force, near Averysboro, and after a sharp battle drove 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 163 

thera from the field, with the loss of their guns, and 
leaving tlieir dead and wounded on the field. 

Sherman, who had met with but small loss, now moved 
forward towards Goldsboro ; but it was a necessity of 
Johnston's position that he must, if possible, defeat and 
cripple his great antagonist before he could form a junc- 
tion with Schofield, as that once effected, his own force 
would be so greatly inferior, that there could be no hope 
of success for him. Accordingly, bringing his entire 
force (he had about forty thousand eflTective men), by a 
forced march, into position at Bentonville, on the 19th of 
March, he massed them, and flung them upon the Union 
lines of Slocum's (left) wing with the utmost fury. 
Morgan's division of the Fourteenth corps was in ad- 
vance of the line of Union defences, and this was driven 
back and doubled upon itself by the sudden attack, 
with the loss of three guns. General Slocum promptly 
brought up the remainder of the Fourteenth corps and 
the Twentieth to the support of his lines, and sent to 
General Sherman for the co-operation of the right wing. 
Meanwhile the rebels charged fiercely again and again 
upon the Union troops, making at one time three charges 
in thirty-five minutes, and with such desperation, that 
the whole ground in front of the Union lines was strewn 
with their dead and wounded, and many of them had 
fallen within the breastworks over which they had 
thrown themselves in their fury. But the veterans of the 
Fourteenth and Twentieth corps had withstood too many 
headlong charges fi-om the rebels to give way; they 
stood firm as a rock, and repelled every charge with 
grape and canister, and a most deadly musketry-fire, 
till at length, exhausted with their efforts, and finding 
that they could not make any imjDression on Sherman's 
troops, they withdrew sullenly to their lines. The next 



164 OUK GREAT CAPTAINS. 

day, March 20th, was spent in intrenching and strength- 
ening the position the Union troops had taken ; and the 
right wing having come up, moved forward, and flanked 
the enemy's position, keeping up a brisk artillery fire 
upon them meanwhile. Finding that their communica- 
tions with Raleigh were threatened, the rebels attempted 
to fall back on Smithfield, but were pressed so closely by 
the Union forces, that they lost seven guns, and more 
than two thousand prisoners were captured from their 
army, while the deserters came in by hundreds. 

General Sherman, who had sent some of his staff to 
Goldsboro on the 2 2d, came in himself with his army on 
the 23d, having previously issued the following order. 

" Headquarters, Military Division of tele Mississippi, ) 
IN the Field, near bentonville, N. C, >• 

March 23, 1865. ) 
•• Special Meld Orders, No. 35. 

" The general commanding announces to the army, that 
yesterday it beat, on its chosen ground, the concentrated 
armies of our enemy, who has fled in disorder, leaving 
his dead, wounded, and prisoners in our hands, and burn- 
ing his bridges on his retreat. 

" On the same day Major-General Schofield, from N'ew- 
bern, entered and occupied Goldsboro, and Major-General 
Terry, from Wilmington, secured Cox's bridge crossing 
and laid a pontoon bridge across ISTeuse river, so that our 
campaign has resulted in a glorious success. After a 
march of the most extraordinary character, nearly five hun- 
dred miles, over swamps and rivers deemed impassable to 
.others, at the most inclement season of the year, and draw- 
ing our chief supplies from a poor and wasted country, 
we reach our destination in good health and condition. 

" I thank the army, and assure it that our Govern- 
ment and people honor them for this new display of the 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 165 

physical and moral qualities which reflect honor uj^on the 

whole nation. 

" You shall now have rest, and all the supplies that can 

be brought from the rich granaries and storehouses of 

our magnificent country, before again embarking on new 

and untried dangers. 

"W. T. SHERMAN, 
" Major-General Commanding." 

General Sherman reported to General Grant that his 
entire losses in killed, wounded, and prisoners, from 
the time of leaving Savannah till he encamped with his 
army around Goldsboro, were less than twenty-five 
hundred men. 

After disposing his army in camp at Goldsboro, 
and giving orders for their immediate supply with shoes 
and clothing, General Sherman hastened to City Point, 
for an interview with General Grant and the President. 
He arrived on Monday evening, March 2'7th, and re- 
turned the next day. The campaign was ended, and 
though a new one might commence within a week, Gen- 
eral Sherman was disposed to allow his soldiers all the 
time for rest and recovery from fatigue possible, before 
entering upon it. Between his army, augmented by the 
corps of Schofield and Terry, and the fine army of Grant, 
the rebellion was evidently destined to be crushed as be- 
tween the upper and nether millstone. The two armies 
were separated by only one hundred and fifty miles, and 
a railroad, which could be rapidly put in order, connected 
them. Other forces were pressing upon the rebel com- 
munications from the west, and within a few weeks, at 
furthest, the toils would be woven so thickly about the 
army and the leaders of the rebellion, that escape would 
be impossible. It was a time when waiting with up- 
lifted arm ready to strike, was better, perhaps, than 



166 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

fighting, and the two great captains could wait as well 
as fight. 

The delay was not, however, of long duration. By 
the utmost diligence the array was refitted and sup- 
plies gathered in, so that on the 10th of April his columns 
were all again in motion. Smithfield was entered on the 
11th, with only slight skirmishing, Johnston retreating 
across the Neuse, and burning the bridges behind him ; 
the Neuse was crossed the next day, and the mtelligence 
of Lee's surrender having come to the array, they pressed 
on through deep mud and horrible roads, and entered 
Raleigh on the 13th, and the cavalry advanced to Dur- 
ham Station, the infantry of the right wing following as 
fast as they could. In order to cut off Johnston's re- 
treat, General Sherman, unaware that Stoneman had al- 
ready captured Salisbury, now made preparations to 
move his army diagonally across the railroad, which at 
Greensboro' turns sharply southwestward. By this 
movement he would save a very considerable march for 
his troops. On the 14th he received from General John- 
ston a letter desiring an interview, with a view to a capit- 
ulation. General Sherman replied, agreeing to meet 
him at a point intermediate between the two armies on 
the 17th at noon, provided no change was made in the 
status of the two armies. This was agreed to, and at 
this meeting General Johnston acknowledged the hope- 
lessness of the contest and the liberal terms granted to 
General Lee, but asked that some provisions might be 
inserted in his terms of surrender which would enable 
him to allay the natural anxieties and fears of his soldiers, 
and to maintain his control over them until they could 
be got back to the neighborhood of their homes, thereby 
saving the State of North Carolina from serious devasta- 
tion. He also desh-ed to embrace in the surrender the 



GENERAL SHERMAN. lOT 

other rebel armies still in existence — Taylor's, Kirby 
Smith's, etc. General Sherman met him very frankly, 
and expressed his gratification at the sentiments he utter- 
ed ; but finding that he had not then the power to bind 
the rebel array of Texas, tlie negotiation was postponed 
till the next day, when Johnston asked that Breckinridge 
might be present ; to this Sherman, after some hesitation, 
acceded. The result of the next day's deliberations was 
the drawing up of the following memorandum, to be 
submitted for approval to the higher authorities on both 
sides, a truce to exist meanwhile. The delay was of ad- 
vantage to Sherman, as it enabled him to finish his rail- 
road to Raleigh and bring up supplies. 

Memorandum or basis of agreement, made this 18th day of April, 
A. D. 1865, near Durham's Station, and in the State of North 
Carolina, by and between -General Joseph E. Johnston, com- 
manding the Confederate Army, and Major-General William 
T. Sherman, commanding the Army of the United States in 
North Carolina, both present : 

First. The contending armies now in the field to maintain their 
statu quo unXil notice is given by the commanding general of 
either one to his opponent, and reasonable time, say forty-eight 
hours, allowed. 

Second. The Confederate armies now in existence to be dis- 
banded and conducted to the several State capitals, there to de- 
posit their arms and public property in the State arsenal, and 
each oflBcer and man to execute and file an agreement to cease 
from acts of war, and abide the action of both State and Federal 
authorities. The nvumber of arms and munitions of war to be re- 
ported to the chief of ordnance at Washington city, subject to 
future action of the Congress of the United States, and in the 
mean time to be used solely to maintain peace and order within 
the borders of the States respectively. 

Tldrd. The recognition, by the Executive of the United States, 
of the several State Governments, on their officers and Legisla- 
tures taking the oath prescribed by the Constitution of the United 



16S OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

States ; and when conflicting State Governments have resulted 
from the war, the legitimacy of all shall be submitted to the Su- 
preme Court of the United States. 

Fourth. The re-establishment of all Federal courts in the several 
States, with powers as defined by the Constitution and the laws 
of Congress. 

Fifth. The people and inhabitants of aU States to be guaran- 
teed, so far as the Executive can, their political rights and fran- 
chise, as well as their rights of person and property, as defined 
by the Constitution of the United States and of States respec- 
tively. 

Sixth. The executive authority of the Government of the United 
States not to disturb any of the people so long as they live in 
peace and qmet, abstain from acts of armed hostility, and obey 
laws in existence at any place of their residence. 

Seventh. In general terms, war to cease, a general amnesty, so 
far as the executive power of the United States can command, or 
on condition of disbandment of the Confederate armies and the 
distribution of arms and resumption of peaceful pursuits by officers 
and men as hitherto comprising the said armies. Not being fully 
empowered by our respective principals to fulfil these terms, we 
individually and officially pledge ourselves to promptly obtain 
necessary authority, and to carry out the above programme. 

W. T. Sherman, Major-General, 

Commanding the Army of the United States 
in North Carolina. 

J. E. Johnston, General, 

Commanding Confederate States Army 
in North Carolina. 

The terms thus proposed were inadmissible, and by 
the unanimous voice of the Cabinet, General Grant con- 
curring, were disallowed. The provisions of it, if grant- 
ed, would have proved unjust to many of those who had 
contributed most largely to the national success, and 
might have resulted in serious trouble and disaster to 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 169 

the interests of a permanent peace. It was, also, an as- 
sumption of the power of the military leaders to adjust 
the civil questions growing out of the war, which, if per- 
mitted, would have proved fatal to the authority of civil 
government, and had been expressly forbidden to General 
Grant about two months previous. Of this, however, 
General Sherman was not aware ; and the authority 
wliich had been deputed to him to deal with the ques- 
tion of the status of freedmen, etc., at Savannah, led him 
to suppose that he was not transcending the limits which 
were allowable in this case. In mihtary ability and 
genius he was far superior to both Johnston and Breck- 
inridge, but in diplomacy the crafty ex-Vice-President 
outwitted him. 

Yet, blunder as this agreement undoubtedly was, it 
afforded no just ground for the aspersions which, for a 
brief period, were cast upon the reputation of the gal- 
lant general and hero. No more loyal heart than that 
of William T. Sherman beats on this continent, and none 
more desirous of the nation's success and prosperity. It 
was his over-anxious desire for peace, from his ample 
knowledge and experience of the horrors of war, his 
wish to close at one stroke the conflict already protracted 
over four years, and his belief— erroneous, indeed, but 
honestly entertained — that in a general pacification im- 
portant matters would right themselves, which led him 
to enter into this conditional agreement ; and while we 
dissent from the measure, we cannot but admire the mo- 
tives which prompted him to initiate it. 

General Grant hastened to Raleigh, and explaining 
the objections to the measure, requested General Sher- 
man to give notice to General Johnston of the rejection 
of the memorandum and the resumption of hostilities at 

15 



170 - OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

the end of forty-eigJit hours. Before the expiration of 
that period, General Johnston soHcited another inter- 
view ; and General Grant, fully persuaded of General 
Sherman's ability and patriotism, wisely left to him the 
aegotiations ; and on the 26th, General Johnston surren- 
dered to him on the terms made by General Grant to 
General Lee. In all, about 29,000 men were surrendered 
by this capitulation, which embraced every thing east of 
Dick Taylor's command, which extended to the Chatta- 
hoochie. 

The surrender made, General Sherman hastened to 
Savannah and Hilton Head, to arrange for permanent 
garrisons at Augusta and other points within the limits 
of his command, and returned to Morehead City on the 
4th of May. During his absence he had seen the pub- 
lished orders of General Halleck (who had certainly 
transcended his authority) and of Secretary Stanton, 
which directed his subordinate officers to pay no regard 
to his truce. That this measure was ill-advised, all par- 
ties now admit ; and that it excited his indignation, 
which found vent in his report of May 9th, is not sur- 
prising. The matter was subsequently, through the in- 
tervention of General Grant, so far harmonized that the 
parties were on terms of courtesy tow^ards each other, 
but hardly of cordiality. 

After the review of his troops at Washington, on the 
23d and 24th of May, General Sherman obtained a short 
leave of absence, the first in many months, and visited 
New York, West Point, and the other Northern and 
Western cities. An attempt was made by the Demo- 
cratic party in Ohio to nominate him for Governor, but 
he promptly declined, expressing his firm determination 
not to be a candidate for any political honors, and 



GENKRAL SHERMAN. 171 

heartily indorsing General Cox, the Republican candi- 
date, who had been an officer in his own arm}^ On the 
27th of June, 1865, lie was appointed by the Govern- 
ment to the command of the new military division of 
the Mississippi, embracing the Department of the Missouri 
(including the Northwest States and Territories, and 
x4rkansas and the Indian Territory). His headquarters 
are at St. Louis. 

In person, General Sherman is tall, slender, but vigor- 
ous, and cajjable of extraordinary endurance of fatigue. 
His eyes are gray, his hair and whiskers sandy, with a 
reddish tinge. His temperament is highly nervous, and 
he is one of the most restless of men, constantly in mo- 
tion, and as constantly smoking ; he requires but little 
sleep, and is a close and somewhat abstracted thinker. 
His manners are usually somewhat stern, or, as a New 
Englander would say, gruff; partly, perhaps, from his 
quick, nervous way of speaking, and partly from the im- 
periousness of his will, which brooks no opposition, and 
a naturally harsh temper — a fault which he freely admits, 
though he seldom controls it. He is careless in his 
dress, and has no aspirations to be a military dandy. 
He has a mind well cultivated by reading and study, 
and is especially fiimiliar with ancient and modern his- 
tory. He possesses decided ability as a writer, express- 
ing himself with great terseness and force, and often 
condensing a whole volume of military law in a single 
sentence. His style is, however, somewhat marred by 
his habit of using short, jerky sentences. In conversa- 
tion he is very rapid and vehement, his sentences short, 
and uttered in an imperious way. His decisions are so 
quick as to seem to be intuitions, but are very rarely- 
wrong. 



172 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

Innumerable anecdotes are told of him which illustrate 
these traits of his character. Just at the commencement 
of his Atlanta campaign, while he was straining every 
nerve to push forward supplies for his army, the Chris- 
tian Commission telegraphed him, asking for transporta- 
tion for two of their delegates, eminent clergymen of 
New York, to visit his army with stores, tracts, &c. 
" Certainly not," was the prompt reply, " crackers and 
oats are more necessary for my men than ministers and 
tracts." Though in general entertaining a dislike for 
much of the female nursing in the camps and hospitals, 
he had taken a fancy to a Mrs. Bickerdyke, a resolute, 
daring, strong-limbed, and strong-lunged woman, who 
had really accomplished a vast amount of good by her 
care for the interests of the private soldiers, especially 
those who were sick or wounded, and would grant her 
requests almost uniformly, even when he denied others 
the same favors. Mrs. Bickerdyke was a sworn enemy 
to indolent and unfaithful army surgeons, and often pro- 
cured their dishonorable discharge when they were in- 
competent or neglectful of their duties. One of these 
surgeons who found himself summarily discharged from 
the service through her influence, went to General 
Sherman and asked to be reinstated, alleging that his 
character had been misrepresented. "Who got you 
discharged ?" asked the general. " I was unjustly dis- 
charged," said the surgeon, evasively. "But who got 
you discharged ?" persisted the general. " Why, I sup- 
pose it was that woman, that Mrs. Bickerdyke." 
*' Ah !" said Sherman, puffing at his cigar, violently ; 
" well, if it was Bickerdyke, I can't do any thing for you. 
She ranks me." 

To him, there are no such things as impossibilities. 
In March, 1864, finding that only ninety car-loads of 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 173 

rations daily were forwarded from Nashville to Chatta' 
nooga, he insisted that the number must be quadrupled, 
and going to Louisville, he extended the Louisville and 
Nashville railroad three miles to the Ohio river within 
two days, brought the Jeffersonville railroad to the 
north bank of the river, seized a ferry-boat, and had it 
fitted up for transporting locomotives and cars, had in- 
clined planes erected, impressed as many locomotives and 
cars as he wanted from the Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio 
railroads, and rushed them through to Nashville. In 
less than a month the railroad agents were running two 
hundred and seventy cars per day through to Chatta- 
nooga, but, not satisfied with this, he required a report 
daily of the additions made to the rolling-stock, and on 
the 28th of April had his three hundred and sixty cars 
daily running to Chattanooga. On his march from Sa- 
vannah to Goldsboro, a distance of five hundred miles, 
the roads for great portions of the distance had to be 
corduroyed, and bridges built over many of the streams, 
yet he required and secured a march of from twelve to 
fifteen miles a day with his immense army, a greater 
rapidity of movement for a large infantry force, in so 
long a march, than was ever recorded in history. No 
wonder that when he reached Goldsboro twenty thou- 
sand of his men were without shoes. 

General Sherman is idolized by his men. They know 
that he cares for them, and harsh and stern as he may 
be to speculators, cotton-buyers, or even civilians or ofii- 
cers who come to his headquarters when he is out of 
humor, no private soldier ever comes to him to have a 
wrong redressed who does not have a patient hearing 
and a just decision. His foresight and comprehension 
of all the possible moves of the enemy, and his skill in 
providing for them, are remarkable, and exhibit in the 
15* 



174 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

Strongest light his military genius. His patriotism is 
undoubted and fervent. Knowing what the Southern 
people are, and what they have done, he expostulates 
with them in strong terms, but never attempts to pal- 
liate their conduct, or to intimate that any thing short of 
submission will secure to them the restoration of their 
former privileges. 

A letter of his, written in the summer of 1864 to a 
lady in Baltimore, whom he had known years ago 
" playing as a school-girl on Sullivan's Island beach," 
expresses his sentiments on this subject so eloquently, 
that we cannot refrain from quoting it. In justifica- 
tion of the war, he says : 

" All I pretend to say is, on earth as in heaven, man 
must submit to some arbiter. He must not throw off 
his allegiance to his Government or his God without just 
reason and cause. The South had no cause — not even 
a pretext. Indeed, by her unjustifiable course, she has 
thrown away the proud history of the past, and laid open 
her fair country to the tread of devastating war. She 
bantered and bullied us to the conflict. Had we declined 
battle, America would have sunk back, coward and 
craven, meriting the contempt of all mankind. As a 
nation, we were forced to accept battle, and that, once 
begun, it has gone on till the war has assumed propor- 
tions at which even we, in the hurly-burly, sometimes 
stand aghast. I would not subjugate the South in the 
sense so offensively assumed, but I would make every 
citizen of the land obey the common law, submit to the 
same we do — no worse, no better — oui* equals, and not 
our superiors." 

He adds : " God knows how reluctantly we accepted 
the issue ; but once the issue joined,' like, in other ages, 
the Northern race, though slow to anger, once aroused, 



GENERAL SHERMAN. 175 

are more terrible than the more inflamraable of the 
South. Ev^en yet my heart blee.ds when I see the 
carnage of battle, the desolation of homes, the bitter 
anguish of families ; but the very moment the men of 
the South say, that instead of appealing to war they 
should have appealed to reason, to our Congress, to 
our Courts, to religion, and to the experience of his- 
tory, then will I say. Peace ! Peace ! Go back to your 
point of error, and resume your place as American citi- 
zens, with all their proud heritages." 

With all his impatience of restraint, General Sherman 
has always manifested his recognition of the maxim, that 
'■' unhesitating obedience is the first duty of the soldier." 
Though often tried sorely in this regard, he has never 
failed to obey any order from his superiors in command, 
however distasteful, with the utmost promptness. His 
fealty to Lieutenant-General Grant is honorable to both. 
It is related that a distinguished civilian, who visited him 
at Savannah, desirous of ascertaining his real opinion of 
General Grant, began to speak of him in tei-ms of depre- 
ciation. "It won't do; it won't do, Mr. ," said 

Sherman, in his quick, nervous way ; " General Grant 
is a great general, I know him well. He stood by 
me when I was crazy, and I stood by him when he 
was drunk ;* and now, sir, we stand by each other 
always." 

In short, while w^e acknowledge, as he does also, most 
frankly, that General Sherman is not wholly free from 
faults, we think he has fairly won the right of being 
reckoned as one of the half-dozen great captains of 
the nineteenth century, and that none of his compeers 
have cause to feel ashamed of his company. 

* Alluding to tlie reports so maliciously circulated of Sherman's in- 
sanity and Grant's intemperance. 



III. 

Major-General George H. Thomas. 

Among the few men of Southern birth and education, 
who, at a period of wide-spread delusion and infatuation, 
were not beguiled into following the igiiis-fatuus of 
the State Rights heresy, men who, like Milton's Abdiel, 
in the midst of the rebellious host of fallen angels, were 

" Faithful among the faithless found," 

Major-General Thomas stands conspicuous alike in the 
purity of his character, the intensity of his devotion to 
the national cause, his undaunted bravery, and successful 
generalship. 

Born in Southampton county, Va., in the very heart 
of the Old Dominion, and of a family possessing far more 
than ordinary claims, both in wealth and social position, 
to rank among the F. F. V.'s, he was never, for a mo- 
ment, influenced by the twaddle which men in high posi- 
tion were not ashamed to utter, of the necessity of " going 
with their State," but promptly acknowledged, and 
firmly held to his allegiance to the national flag and the 
national cause, as paramount to all State ties, and, from 
the first dawn of the rebellion, threw all the energies of 
his great soul into the work of suppressing it. 

He was born, as we have said, in Southampton county, 
Ya., July 31, 1816. His father, John Thomas, was of 
English, or more probably, remotely of Welsh descent ; 
his mother, Ehzabeth Rochelle, of an old Huguenot family, 
and both wealthy, respectable, and highly connected. 



178 OUR GREAT CAPTAIN'S. 

His early education was obtained at the best schools of 
that portion of Virginia, and at the age of nineteen 
years he accepted the position of deputy clerk of the 
county, under his uncle, James Rochelle, then county 
clerk, and commenced the study of the law. In the 
spring of 1836, through the influence of family friends, 
he received an appointment as cadet, and entered the 
Military Academy at West Point the following June. In 
June, 1840, he graduated twelfth in a class of forty-five, 
and was appointed second lieutenant in the 3d Artillery 
on the 1st of July. In November of the same year he 
joined his regiment in Florida, eighteen months before 
the termination of the first Florida war. A year later 
(November 6, 1841) he was brevetted first Heutenant "for 
gallant conduct in the war against the Florida Indians." 
In January, 1842, the regiment was ordered to the New 
Orleans barracks, and in June of the same year to Fort 
Moultrie, Charleston harbor. In both these migrations. 
Lieutenant Thomas accompanied them. In December, 
1843, he was ordered to duty, with company C of his 
regiment, at Fort McHenry, Md. On the 17th of May, 
1843, he was promoted to a first-lieutenancy, and in the 
sirring of 1844, joined company E at Fort Moultrie. 

As there were indications of approaching war with 
Mexico, Lieutenant Thomas was sent with his company 
to Texas in July, 1845, with orders to report to General 
Zachary Taylor. They arrived at Corpus Christi the 
same month, in company with the Third and Fourth regi- 
ments of infantry, being the first United States troops that 
occupied the soil of Texas. Company E and its lieutenant 
marched with the army of occupation from Corpus 
Christi to the Rio Grande, and with one company of 
the First Artillery and six of the Seventh U. S. in- 
fantry, was left to garrison Fort Brown, opposite Ma- 



GENERAL THOMAS. 179 

tamoras; while General Taylor, with the main body 
of his army, fell back to Point Isabel, to establish a 
depot of supplies there. 

On the 2d of May the Mexicans invested Fort Brown, 
and the garrison sustained a bombardment until the af- 
ternoon of the 8th, when the Mexican troops abandoned 
the siege, and went to reinforce General Ampudia at Re- 
saca de la Palma, that general having been on that day 
driven from Palo Alto by General Taylor, while march- 
ing to the relief of Fort Brown. On the 9th, General 
Taylor defeated the Mexicans at Resaca de ^la Palma, 
and drove them across the Rio Grande, near the fort, the 
garrison contributing to this decisive victory by pouring 
an unintermitting fire of shot and shell into tlie disordered 
masses of the retreating enemy, as they rushed in confu- 
sion to the river to escape the advancing columns ot 
General Taylor. After the evacuation of Matamoras, 
Lieutenant Thomas was detached from his company 
with a section of his battery, and for nearly four months 
assigned to duty with the advance guard, first at Rey- 
nosa, and afterwards at Camargo. In September he re- 
joined his command, and marched to Monterey, and for 
his gallant conduct at the battle of Monterey, Sept. 23d, 
1846, was brevetted captain. About the 1st of No- 
vember he took command of Company E as senior lieu- 
tenant, retaining it till February 14, 1847. In December, 
1846, he was again placed in the advance with Quitman's 
brigade, and entered Victoria about January 1, 1847. 
During this month General Scott, having assumed com- 
mand of the army in the field, ordered General Taylor 
to select a division, and with it occupy the country he 
had conquered. General Taylor selected, among other 
troops, companies C and E of the Third Artillery, and 
returned to Monterey about the last of January. Soon 



180 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

after, Santa Anna advanced upon him with a force qua- 
druple that of Taylor, and on the 21st of February the 
bloody but decisive battle of Buena Vista was fought, 
and resulted in the complete defeat of Santa Anna, and 
the dispersion of his army. In this battle Lieutenant 
Thomas greatly distinguished himself, receiving the 
highest encomiums of his commander, and on the 23d 
of February he was bre vetted major for his gallant and 
meritorious conduct. 

In August, 1848, he recrossed the Rio Grande into 
Texas, having been among the first to enter and among 
the last to leave the Mexican territory. In September, 
1848, he was placed in charge of a commissary depot at 
Brazos Santiago, and in December was granted a six 
months' leave of absence, the first he had had since enter- 
ing the service. In June, 1849, he rejoined his company 
at Fort Adams, Newport, R. I., and on the 31st of July 
was placed in command of company B of the Third Ar- 
tillery, with which he was ordered in September to pro- 
ceed to Florida, to put down an Indian outbreak there. 
He remained on duty in Florida till December, 1850, 
when he received orders to go to Texas, but on reaching 
New Orleans found later orders directing him to report 
for duty at Fort Independence, Boston harbor. He re- 
mained at Fort Independence till March 28th, 1851, 
when he was relieved by Captain Ord, and assigned to 
duty at West Point as Instructor of Artillery and Cav- 
alry. He remained at West Point about three years, 
having in December, 1853, been promoted to a full 
captaincy. 

On leaving West Point, Captain Thomas took com- 
mand of a battalion of artillery, and sailed for California, 
via Panama. On his arrival at Benicia barracks he was 
assigned to Fort Yuma, Lower California, and reaching 



GENERAL THOMAS. 181 

that place July 15th, with two companies of artillery, he 
relieved Major Heintzelman. The next year Congress 
authorized an increase of four regiments in the array, 
two of infantry, and two of cavalry, and Captain Thomas 
received the appointment of junior major in the Second 
Cavahy, and, on the 18th of July, 1855, left Fort 
Yuma to join his regiment at Jefferson Barracks, Mis- 
souri. In the following spring the regiment was ordered 
to Texas, where he was on duty from May 1st, 1856, to 
November 1st, 1860. During this time he was for three 
years in command of the regiment, and in August, 1859, 
headed the escort which accompanied the Texas Reserve 
Indians to their new home in the Indian Territory. In 
the autumn of 1859, and the winter, spring, and summer 
of 1860, he was engaged in an examination of the coun- 
try on the headwaters of the Canadian and Red rivers, 
and the Conchas, and collected much valuable geograph- 
ical information concerning those regions which had 
previously been entirely unexplored. He had, during 
his last expedition, a rencounter with a party of preda- 
tory Indians, whom he defeated, and recaptured from 
them all the animals they had stolen from the settle- 
ments. In this skirmish he was slightly wounded in the 
face. In November, 1860, he obtained a short leave of 
absence, the second in more than twenty years. In 
April, 1861, he was ordered to Carlisle Barracks, Penn- 
sylvania, to remount the Second Cavalry, which had 
been dismounted and ordered out of Texas, by the traitor 
Twiggs. When he arrived, two companies had already 
been mounted, and sent to Washington ; four more 
were sent forward at once, and the remaining four were 
assigned to duty under his command, in the department 
of Pennsylvania. On the 25th of April, Major Thomas 
was promoted to a lieutenant-colonelcy, and on the 5th 

16 



182 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

of May appointed colonel of the Fifth U. S. Cavalry. 
In the same month he was assigned to the command of 
a brigade in General Patterson's army, in Nortliern Vir- 
ginia, and afterwards held the same position under Gen- 
eral Banks. 

. On the ItCh of August he was appointed a brigadier- 
general of Volunteers, and on the 26th M^as relieved 
from duty with the army of Northern Virginia, and or- 
dered to report to Brigadier-General Robert Anderson, 
commanding the Department of the Cumberland. On his 
arrival at Louisville, September 6th, he was at once as- 
signed to the command of Camp Dick Robinson, fifteen 
miles southeast of Nicholasville, Kentucky, which he 
reached September 15th, and relieved Lieutenant Nel- 
son, U. S. iST. (afterwards Major-General Nelson, U. S. V.). 
Here were about six thousand troops collected by Nel- 
son, and Thomas soon greatly increased the number, 
and having organized them, sent four regiments of in- 
fantry, a battalion of artillery, and Woolford's cavalry, 
under command of Brigadier-General Schoepf, to Rock- 
castle hills, thirty miles southeast, to establish Camp 
Wildcat, and resist the advance of the rebels, who, un- 
der General Zollicoifer, had entered Kentucky through 
Cumberland Gap. On the 26th of October the battle 
of Wildcat was fought, and Zollicoifer defeated, and 
driven back to Cumberland Gap by the Union troops, 
under the personal command of General Schoepf Im- 
mediately after this battle. General Thomas moved his 
headquarters to Crab Orchard, and began preparations 
for an advance into East Tennessee ; but General Buell, 
who commanded the department, being desirous of driv- 
ing the rebel General A. S. Johnston from Bowling 
Green, where he had concentrated a large force, ordered 
General Thomas to move, with all his force, except three 



GENERAL THOMAS. 183 

regiments, to Lebanon, Kentucky, and put himself in a 
state of readiness for an active campaign. General 
Thomas obeyed promptly, and at Lebanon organized 
the First division of the Army of the Cumberland. His 
troops had, however, but just arrived there, when intel- 
ligence came that Zollicoffer had advanced to Monticello, 
and was threatening Somerset. He immediately sent 
General Schoepf a battery of artillery and two regiments 
of infantry, to prevent him from crossing the Cumber- 
land river, and two days afterwards ordered two mora 
regiments and. another battery to reinforce him; but 
Zollicoffer had meanwhile succeeded in crossing the 
river, and established himself on the north side, opposite 
Mill Spring. On the 31st of December he took the field 
in person, with six regiments of infantry, one of cavalry, 
a battery of artillery, and four companies of engineers, to 
march against Zollicoffer, and dislodge him from his po- 
sition, if he did not come out to meet the Union forces. 

The march -was a most laborious one, occupying nine- 
teen days, the roads being almost impassable, but General 
Thomas at last succeeded in reaching Logan's cross-roads, 
about ten miles north of Mill Spring, though two of the 
regiments of infantry had fallen behind. He halted at 
this point for these to come up, on the 18th of January, 
and at the same time made arrangements to communicate 
with General Schoepf, at Somerset, and undertake a com- 
bined movement upon the enemy's intrenchments. This 
movement was to be made on the 26th. The rebel com- 
mander meantime having been informed that only two 
regiments had reached Logan's cross-roads with General 
Thomas, resolved to surprise and overwhelm him befbre 
the others could come up. He accordingly moved on 
the evening of the 18th, reaching Thomas's camp about 
daylight, and driving in th e pickets in some confusion. 



184: OUK GREAT CAPTAINb. 

General Thomas was not long in forming his troops and 
advancing upon the enemy. The rebels assaulted with 
great desperation, but without effect ; and the two regi- 
ments which were behind having come up, a simulta- 
neous assault was made upon the rebel front, right, and 
rear, and, after a sharp struggle, they broke and fled, 
retreating in great disorder towards their jntrenchments. 
They were pursued promptly to the river, and General 
Thomas gave orders to storm their intrenchments early 
the next morning ; but during the night they fled, aban- 
doning their fortifications, artillery, ammunition wagons, 
cavalry, horse, and camp equipage, provisions, and small- 
arms. General Zollicofi'er was killed in the battle. 
Many of the wealthy rebels in Middle Tennessee were so 
terrified by this defeat that they removed, with their 
slaves and property, to Alabama and Mississippi, regard- 
ing Tennessee as unsafe. General Thomas now concen- 
trated his force at Somerset, and prepared for an expedi- 
tion into East Tennessee, the possession of which he re- 
garded as of the first importance. He had nearly accu- 
mulated the necessary supplies and subsistence for the 
expedition, when General Buell again recalled him, 
ordering him to move with all dispatch to Lebanon, and 
thence to Munfordsville, where he was,then concentrating 
his forces for an attack on Bowling Green. Before the 
troops could be assembled there, however, the rebels had 
lost Forts Henry and Donelson, and had abandoned 
Columbus, Bowling Green, and Nashville, and retreated 
further south. General Thomas was met on his way to 
Munfordsville by orders to go on with his division to 
Louisville, and there take steamers for Nashville. He 
arrived at Nashville on the 2d of March with his division, 
in readiness to take the field. General Buell constituted 
that division the reserve of the Army of the Cumberland, 



I 



GENERAL THOMAS. 185 



and it did not reach Pittsburg Landing till after the rebels 
had retreated to Corinth. On the 25th of April, 1862, 
Brigadier-General Thomas was appointed and confirmed 
Major-General of Volunteers, and on the 1st of May his 
division was transferred, by General Halleck, to the 
Army of the Tennessee, and he was assigned to the com- 
mand of the right wing of that army, consisting of five 
divisions — viz., Brigadier-General T.W. Sherman's, Briga 
dier-General W. T. Sherman's (subsequently commander 
of the Army of the Tennessee and of the Military Divis- 
ion of the Mississippi), Brigadier-General S. A. Hurlbut's, 
Brigadier-General T. J. McKean's, and Brigadier-General 
Thomas A. Davies' divisions. 

On the evacuation of Corinth by the rebels, General 
Thomas's command was stationed along the Memphis 
and Charleston railroad from luka, Mississippi, to Tus- 
cumbia, Alabama, for its protection. On the 10th of 
June he was retransferred to the Army of the Ohio, his 
old associates, and ordered to concentrate his command 
at Decherd, Tennessee. Leaving his command tempo- 
rarily in charge of General Schoepf, he went on to Mc- 
Minnville to take charge of the divisions of Generals 
Nelson and Hood, then at that place. On the 3d of 
September, General Buell sent him orders to join him 
at Murfreesboro. On arriving there, he found that 
General Buell had moved on to Nashville, whither he 
followed promptly, and reached that city on the 8th 
of September, when he was at once put in command 
of the post, while General Buell pushed on towards Ken- 
tucky. On the evening of the 13th General Thomas re- 
ceived orders to follow ; and, leaving Negley's and Pal- 
mer's divisions as a garrison at Nashville, he moved on 
the 15th and overtook General Buell on the 19th near 
Cave City, and was at once made second in command of 
16* 



1S6 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

the whole army. In that rapid race to Louisville and 
back, wliicli followed, in which Bragg always managed 
to be a little ahea'd, General Thomas took his full share of 
the labor and responsibihty. He reached Louisville on 
the 26th of September. On the 29th the army was di- 
vided into three army corps, under Generals McCook, 
Crittenden, and Gilbert, and General Thomas was still 
second in command; and when on the 1st of October the 
army moved from Louisville in pursuit of Bragg, now 
retreating with his ill-gotten prey from Kentucky, 
General Thomas took command of the right wing. 
Tn the battle of Perryville the left wing was princi- 
pally engaged, — the right wing, from the position of 
the two armies, being unable to come into action, ex- 
cept in the way of skirmishing on the part of its cav- 
alry. When General Rosecrans assumed command, 
the name of the army was again changed to the " Army 
of the Cumberland;" and on the 5th of November, Gen- 
eral Thomas was placed in command of tlie centre, the 
14th army corps, consisting of five divisions, — the 1st, 
3d, 8th, 12th, and 13th, under the command of Gene- 
rals Fry, Rousseau, Negley, Dumont, and Palmer. With 
his corps he reached Nashville early in November, and 
on the 26th of December advanced towards Murfrees- 
boro. During the series of battles and skirmishes 
which preceded the battle of Stone river he was cool, 
active, and vigilant, cheering on his men by his ex- 
ample, and sharing their dangers. In the battle of 
Stone river, on the first day, it was his corps that ar- 
rested the progress of Bragg's legions, flushed with vic- 
tory, when, having routed and trampled down McCook's 
corps and forced back Negley's division of Thomas's, 
they were held firmly at bay by Palmer's- veterans, while 
General Thomas was aiding the commander in forming 



GENERAL THOMAS. 1S7 

a new and impregnable line. Firm as a rock, they 
stemmed the torrent of advancing rebels at a time 
when every moment was of infinite value to the suc- 
cess of the day and the retrieval of the disaster. Again 
and again were Bragg's masses hurled upon them, but, 
though sadly thinned, their lines were unbroken. It was 
a portion of Thomas's corps that on the 2d of January 
punished so effectually the rash attempt of Breckinridge 
to advance and turn the Union left, and in forty minutes 
strewed the line of their advance and retreat with two 
thousand dead and wounded rebels ; and when on that 
dark Saturday night, January 3d, 18 63, Bragg's dispir- 
ited legions fled from Murfreesboro, it was Thomas's 
corps which advanced and drove them the next morning 
towards Manchester. Well did General Rosecrans speak 
of him in his report as " true and prudent ; distinguished 
in counsel, and on many battle-fields celebrated by his 
courage." 

The two armies for the next five months lay twenty 
miles apart watching each other, both considerably and 
about equally reinforced, but neither strong enough for 
an offensive movement. At length, late in June, General 
Rosecrans having brought his cavalry up towards his 
standard of perfection, and accumulated supplies at his 
secondary base, moved forward, and by a series of bril- 
liant strategic movements, in which General Thomas bore 
a distinguished and honorable part, dislodged the rebels 
from Shelbyville, Manchester, Tullahoma, Winchester, 
and Decherd, and compelled them, by mountain passes 
and devious routes, to seek refuge and safety in Chatta- 
nooga. Then repairing the railroads, and constructing 
bridges to make the route safe and easy for troops and 
supplies, he moved forward again to capture Chattanooga 
by a flank movement. For this purpose, General Rose- 



188 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

crans marched his army in three, or, including his cav- 
alry, in four columns, moving by different routes ; — Mc- 
Cook crossing the Tennessee near Stevenson, and passing 
down the west side of Lookout mountain to Valley Head 
and Alpine, and thence ascending towards Chattanooga 
by way of McLemore's cove ; Thomas crossing at Bridge- 
port, and threatening Chattanooga along the railroad ; 
while Crittenden, crossing at and above Bridgeport, and 
at the same time threatening Chattanooga from the op- 
posite bank of the Tennessee by a detachment of his 
corps, caused Bragg to evacuate it speedily, and then, 
leaving a small garrison there, passed over east towards 
Ringgold, the cavalry meantime making an extensive 
detour westward, and crossing the river near Athens, 
Tennessee. The object of these movements had been 
attained in part, for Bragg had been compelled to 
abandon Chattanooga, or risk the loss of his communi- 
cations ; but he was receiving large reinforcements, 
which gave him greatly the preponderance in num- 
bers over the Union army, and having retreated but 
a short distance southward, he now proposed, by rapid 
movements, to attack Rosecrans' scattered corps before 
they could form a junction, and thus win back his 
^' stronghold. 

Rosecrans was fully aware of his critical situation, and 

understood that he must fight a desperate battle at heavy 

odds, for the possession of the prize he had captured. 

By dint of extraordinary exertion, he succeeded in 

bringing up McCook's corps from the south, and Crit- 

^tenden's from the east, to unite with Thomas, who was 

\ already in a strong position in McLemore's cove ; but 

j McCook's corps were sorely jaded by their long and dif- 

' ficult march, and had had no time to rest. Meanwhile 

Bragg, though annoyed at the failure of his plan for de- 



GENERAL THOMAS. 189 

feating Rosecrans' army in detail, approached it with 
great confidence, having a force outnumbering his as 
three to two. On the first day of the battle, victory in- 
clined to neither side. The attack, in which all of Bragg's 
array did not participate, was made upon Thomas's 
corps, and though outnumbered, they stood like a wall; 
and though, in the course of the day, the other corps 
were brought into action, yet the heaviest blows had 
been given and received by Thomas's veterans. It is 
said that when Longstreet's corps, fresh from Virginia, 
flung themselves upon Thomas's command, they would 
call out, " You are not fighting conscripts now !" and as 
Thomas's men charged back, they would shout in turn, 
" You are not fighting with Eastern store-clerks !" On 
the second day (September 20th), Thomas's corps was still 
in front, supported by one division (Johnson's) of Mc- 
Cook's corps, and one (Palmer's) of Crittenden's, while 
the remainder of McCook's corps was posted on 
Thomas's right, and the remainder of Crittenden's 
placed in reserve, near the point of junction of the two, 
to support either, as circumstances might require. The 
battle commenced early, and the rebels came up in solid 
masses, pressing heavily on Thomas's lines, and seeking 
for some weak point which they might penetrate. They 
sought in vain for hours: every attack was repulsed, 
with heavy loss. The fighting had been continuous 
from about sunrise till one o'clock, when the misconcep- 
tion of an order of General Rosecrans afforded to the 
rebels the opportunity they had so long sought of pen- 
etrating the Union lines, and they were not slow to avail 
themselves of it. They advanced rapidly and heavily, 
and pouring their columns in at the gap, cut off a part 
of Crittenden's and McCook's corps from Thomas, and 
forced them back in confusion. Seven brigades were 



190 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

thus lost for the day, by an army already far inferior in 
nuQibers to the enemy, and Thomas's command was 
flanked. General Rosecrans and Generals McCook and 
Crittenden were with the portion thus cut off, and were 
unable again to reach that portion of the battle-field where 
Thomas still held his ground, grim and defiant, against 
the hosts which sought to swallow him up. Hitherto he 
had been regarded by the generals commanding the 
armies in which he had fought, as a brave, trustworthy, 
prudent ofiicer, — one who would be found in his place, 
doing his duty, but not as a man of genius or high 
strategic ability ; but, in this time of peril he developed 
qualities and improvised combinations which would have 
done honor to any general of modern times. We have 
said he was flanked by this disastrous break, and the 
rush of the enemy into the gap ; we may add, that Gen- 
eral Rosecrans, as well as Generals McCook and Critten- 
den, believed the day lost, and so telegraphed from 
Chattanooga. But Thomas had no idea of losing the 
day. Wheeling his troops within the jaws of Frick's 
gap, where the mountain-walls, precipitous and bold, 
prevented another flank movement, he stood like a lion 
at bay, and with the remnant of that army fought hour 
after hour. Thrice he was compelled to change his po- 
sition and shorten his lines, falling somewhat further 
back into the jaws of the gap, and when at last his men, 
exhausted by two days of hard fighting, without relief, 
food, or rest, were compelled to stand up against the 
whole force of the rebel army, now more than two to 
their one, — a force hurled upon them with all the rage of 
wolves disappointed of their prey, — Thomas called up 
Granger's reserve, held back till then, and the three 
fresh brigades under the immediate command of Gen- 
eral Steedman of Ohio, repulsed them three times in the 



GENP:RAL THOMAS. 191- 

space of forty minutes with most frightful slaughter, and 
compelled them to withdraw, leaving the field to Thomas 
and his unconquered heroes. During the night General 
Thomas fell back three miles, and took up a stronger 
position near Rossville, where he formed his troops in 
line of battle, and remained during the whole of the 
next day (Monday, September 21st) ; but no enemy ap- 
pearing, they marched in the evening to Chattanooga, 
and entered it in order, and without loss of material 
beyond that lost on the 20th. General Rosecrans had, 
on reaching Chattanooga, immediately put the town in a 
state of defence, had placed the train in safety, and re- 
organized the retreating troops, so that on Monday 
morning they were sent to support General Thomas ; and 
Generals McCook and Ciittenden had returned to Ross- 
ville, and rendered assistance in placing the troops in the 
new hues of defence there. But without detracting 
in the least from the merits of General Rosecrans, and 
his other corps-commanders, who on this occasion were 
rather the victims of unfavorable circumstances than 
personally blameworthy, the fact remains, that but for 
the undaunted courage, and extraordinary military 
ability of General Thomas on that day, we should have 
lost our army, lost Chattanooga, and the whole hard- 
won fruits of the blood and toil of the Army of the 
Cumberland for the previous year. It Avas an honorable 
and deserved encomium which General Rosecrans paid 
to him in his report, when he said : " To Major-General 
Thomas, the true soldier, the prudent and undaunted 
commander, the modest and incorruptible patriot, the 
thanks and the gratitude of the country are due for his 
conduct at the battle of Chickamauga." 

On the 19th of October, an order was received from 
the War Department, relieving General Rosecrans from 



192 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

the command of the Army of the Cumberland, and ap- 
pointing General Thomas his successor. Meantime, a 
part of the Army of the Ohio, then under the command 
of General Burnside at Knoxville, Tennessee, had arrived 
at Chattanooga. Two corps from the army of the Poto- 
mac, under command of General Hooker, and the 
Army of the Tennessee, under Genei-al W. T. Sher- 
man, were ordered to Chattanooga ; and General Grant 
was assigned to the command of all these armies, as 
well as the other forces on the Mississippi, the whole 
constituting the grand Military Division of the Mis- 
sissippi. At the same time, wdth these changes of com- 
manders, General Thomas was appointed a brigadier- 
general in the regular army, for his gallant conduct at 
the battle of Chickamauga, his commission dating from 
October 27th, 1863. 

On assuming commandof the Army of the Cumberland, 
General Thomas found that army in a critical condition. 
The enemy had captured some of their supply trains, and 
had obtained possession of a portion of the Nashville and 
Chattanooga railroad, — thus necessitating the transporta- 
tion of all the supplies for this large army, and the re- 
inforcements which it was receiving, over sixty miles of 
the worst road in the United States, across the Cumber- 
land mountains and Walden's ridge, a road in which 
from six to eight miles a day was the greatest distance 
which the trains could accomplish, and even that dis- 
tance at a terrible sacrifice of draft animals. The army 
was i^laced upon half rations, and the cavalry horses (an 
arm of the service of the greatest importance in that re- 
gion) were dying by scores daily for want of forage. 
Added to this, the rebel force, strengthened by still 
further reinforcements, was daily growing bolder, and 
threatened to bombard Chattanooga. 



GENERAL THOMAS. 193 

In this emergency General Thomas did all in his power 
to improve the condition of his command. The defences 
of Chattanooga were strengthened, excursions made by the 
cavalry in search of forage ; pontoons prepared, guns 
mounted ; and all that could be accomplished before the 
other armies came up, was done. With the coming of 
General Grant, and the arrival of the two corps from the 
Army of the Potomac and the Army of the Tennessee, 
affairs assumed a more encouraging appearance. By a 
bold and skilful stroke, the distance which supplies 
were transported by wagon-train Avas reduced from sixty 
miles to ten ; Hooker's command seized and held the 
railroad to Wauhatchie ; Sherman was busy with his 
boats and pontoons near the mouth of North Chicka- 
mauga creek ; and Grant was arranging in silence and 
quiet his plans for driving Bragg's forces from the front 
of Chattanooga. At length the full time had come; 
Bragg had sent his insolent letter, requiring the removal 
of non-combatants from Chattanooga, as he was about to 
shell the city. Hooker's command had by a dexterous 
movement, supported by General Thomas, driven the 
enemy from Lookout mountain, and planted the Union 
flag on the bold brow of that lofty eminence ; Sherman 
had crossed the Tennessee and Chickamauga creek, cap- 
tured the first works of the enemy at the isolated ex- 
tremity of Mission ridge, and sent his cavalry eastward 
to cut the railroad lines ; and Thomas's army, hitherto 
spectators, were in their turn to be called upon for work. 
On the 24th of November they sallied forth from Chat- 
tanooga, and by a bold and rapid dash possessed them- 
selves of the strong works of the enemy on Orchard 
knob, fronting Chattanooga, and commanding a part 
of the rebel fortifications on Mission ridge. To this 
point General Grant advanced the same day with the 

17 



19 J: OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

whole of General Thomas's army, and a part of 
the Army of the Tennessee, and Howard's corps from 
the Army of the Potomac. On tlie 25t]i, after Sherman 
had made his persistent attacks on Fort Buckner, and 
Hooker had moved southward to take Fort Bri^ckinridge 
in the rear, General Gordon Granger's Fourth corps, of 
Thomas's army (the consolidated Twentieth and Twenty- 
first corps, McCook's and Crittenden's), was ordered to 
assault Fort Bragg, and in obedience to the order, made 
that wonderful charge up Mission ridge which will live 
in history as one of the most extraordinary and daring 
assaults ever attempted. The soldiers of the corps were 
bound to retrieve their reputation, and to wipe away any 
disgrace which might attach to them for their retreat at 
Chickamauga, and nobly they acccomplished their purpose. 
After the defeat and flight of Bragg, the Army of the Cum- 
berland, increased to 60,000 men, and brougiit up to the 
highest state of efficiency by its able commander, remained 
in the vicinity of Chattanooga, though detachments from 
it occasionally reconnoitred the enemy's position, and on 
two or three occasions had some sevei'e fighting. When. 
General Grant w\as appointed lieutenant-general, and 
promoted to the command of the armies of the United 
Stfites, General Sherman was, at his request, placed in 
command of the grand Military Division of the Missis- 
sippi, and General Thomas was thus subordinated to an 
officer who was not only his junior in years and military 
experience, but who had, in 1882, been a division com- 
inder under him. Many of our generals would have 
ejected to serve under such circums.tances, and would 
fiave asked to be relieved from their commmds; but 
General Tiiomas was too pure a patriot and too good a 
-;*oldier to take offence at General Sherman's promotion 
.iver his head. He knew well Sherman's military abili- 



GENERAL THOMAS. 195 

ties, had confidence in his plans for the coming cam- 
paign, and while doing his duty by his own command, 
rendered all the service in his power to General Sherman, 
and obeyed promptly and implicitly his orders. 

When, on the Yth of May, 1864, the grand army of 
General Sherman was put in motion for Atlanta, General 
Thomas's array constituted the centre ; and at some peri- 
ods of the campaign, when the position required the 
transference of the Array of the Ohio to the right or 
left, it acted as both centre and right or left wing. The 
campaign, though one of extraordinary hardship and en- 
durance, was one of comparatively few battles, the princi- 
pal being the battle of Buzzard's Roost gap, Resaca, 
Dallas, Kenesaw mountain, the three battles of the 20th, 
22d, and 28th of July, near Atlanta, and the battle near 
Jonesboro. In all these Geneial Thomas took an active 
part ; — at Buzzard's Roost, making the demonstration in 
front ; at Resaca, pressing upon the enemy's lines and 
ousting him from his position. In the actions about Dal- 
las, he attacked and drove the enemy from his position 
at New Hope church. At Kenesaw mountain, besides re- 
ceiving and repulsing the assault of the enemy at the 
Kulp house, he led one of the assaulting columns against 
the impregnable position of the rebels on the mountain. 
On the 20th of July, his army alone sustained the shock 
of Hood's furious attack, and, after a severe battle, drove 
the enemy back to his intrenchments, with very heavy 
loss. The action of the 22d was confined mainly to the 
armies of the Tennessee and Ohio, but General Thomas 
had his army ready to close np and hold all that had 
been gained. The battle of the 28th was fought by the 
Army of the Tennessee, and Palmer's corps of the Army 
of the Cumberland. At Jonesboro, it was Davis's Four 
teenth corps of his army that assaulted and drove the 



l!)G OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

enemy southward, capturing almost an entire brigade, 
while Slocum's (the Twentieth) occupied Atlanta. After 
the capture of Atlanta, when Hood had succeeded in 
rallying his beaten and shattered forces, and moved 
nortiiward to cut General Sherman's lines of communica- 
tion, General Thomas was dispatched after him to pre- 
vent him from accomplishing any considerable mischief. 
When General Sherman had determined upon his expe- 
dition towards Savannah, he placed all the troops he 
could spare under General Thomas's command, with 
orders to entice Hood westward, and fight him, if he 
would fight, in the neighborhood of Nashville. The 
policy suggested by Sherman was admirably carried out 
by Thomas. Hood and Beauregard followed the course 
of the Tennessee river as far as Athens, Tenn., while 
Breckini'idge was sent from Central Georgia north 
towards Knoxville ; and Hood believed he could form a 
junction of the two forces somewhere near Nashville. As 
Hood moved north from Athens, Thomas fell back 
slowly but steadily, at the same time summoning rein- 
forcements from all quarters to concentrate at Nashville. 
Hood moved forward, reckless as usual, and confident of 
an easy victory, which should fulfil Jefierson Davis's pre- 
diction that within sixty days Tennessee should again be 
in the possession of the Confederate government. 

Meanwhile two divisions of infantry, a part of the Six- 
teenth corps, under Major-General A. J. Smith, were on 
their way from Missouri to join General Thomas ; and 
several one-year regiments, and detachments from places 
of minor importance, were arriving at Nashville ; and on 
the 23d of November, General Gordon Granger, under 
previous orders, withdrew the garrisons of Athens, De- 
catur, and Huntsville, Alabama, and sent them by way 
of Stevenson towards Nashville. Five of these regiments 



GENERAL THOMAS. 197 

were ordered to Murfreesboro' to strengthen tlie garrison 
there under command of the gallant Rousseau. Schofield, 
with the larger part of General Thomas's available forces, 
was at Pulaski, Tenn., on the 23d of November ; but 
finding Hood approaching, he, in accordance with Gen- 
eral Thomas's orders, evacuated that place and fell back 
to Columbia, which he reached on the 24th. On that 
day and the 25th the enemy skirmished with Schofield'a 
troops, but only with dismounted cavalry, until the morn- 
ing of the 26th, when his infantry came up, and pressed 
Schofield's lines strongly during that day and the 27th, 
though without assaulting ; and finding that they were 
bent upon crossing Duck River, which flows a short dis- 
tance in rear of the town, the Union commatider with- 
drew on the night of the 27th to the north bank of Duck 
River, and took up a new position, where he could more 
efifectually prevent them from crossing, and thus flanking 
his position. During the 28th of November he held 
this position undisturbed. About 2 a.m. on the morning 
of the 29th, the enemy succeeded in forcing back a part 
of the Union cavalry, and eflfecting a crossing at two 
points, in small numbers. As this was likely to interfere 
with his line of retreat. General Schofield immediately 
made arrangements to fall back towards Franklin, dis- 
posing his troops in such a way as to cover his trains 
and keep the roads open. The march was rapid, and 
there was heavy fighting over the whole route. General 
Schofield himself remained with his artillery till nearly 
night on the banks of Duck River, resisting the enemy's 
crossing, and kept the larger portion of them south of 
the river till dark. He then pushed forward, past the 
enemy, attacking them wherever they were in the way, 
and driving them; and having made a night-march of 
twenty-five miles with his entire army, he reached 

17* 



198 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

Franklin, and got into position at an early hour on the 
morning of the 30th of November, posting his men in 
front of the town, and having the Harpeth River, which 
here sweeps in a semicircle in rear of the town, covering 
both flanks, while his trains were being sent off with all 
due expedition to Nashville. General Thomas had or- 
dered, this very day, Steedman's garrison from Chatta- 
nooga to join him at Nashville ; and it came up on the 
1st of December, losing a few troops by the attack of 
the enemy's cavalry upon the train. 

Had Hood, who pushed his troops to the utmost, at- 
tacked Schofield at Franklin as soon as he came up, and 
before the Union general had had time to form his troops, 
and to throw up those defences which the army at the 
West had learned were so invaluable, the effect might 
have been disastrous ; for his force largely outnumbered 
Schofield's, and they were not hampered by the necessity 
of protecting their trains. But his men were nearly 
spent by their rapid march, and he delayed the attack 
till afternoon. By this time Schofield's position, most 
admirably chosen, had been rendered nearly impreg- 
nable. Soon after noon Hood commenced assaulting: 
the Union lines, and hurled his troops against them 
again and again with much the same result — a most 
bloody repulse each time. Once, and only once, did he 
succeed in making an impression on Schofield's lines. 
Finding Stanley's corps at one point a little weaker than 
the rest, he massed his troops against it in overwhelming 
numbers, forced it back from its first line, and a few of 
his troops had clambered up the barricades of the second 
line, when Stanley, calling up a fresh brigade, and spring- 
ing lion-like into the fight, drove back the rebels with 
terrible slaughter, and though himself grievously wound- 
ed, saved the day. It was ten o'clock at night when 



GENERAL THOMAS. 199 

Hood, having finally become satisfied that he could not 
can-y the Union intrenchments, abandoned the mad at- 
tempt. His losses had been frightful ; Cleburne, the 
bravest of his major-generals, and Brigadier-Generals 
Williams, Adams, Gist, Strophel, and Granberry had 
been slain ; Mnjor-General Brown and Brigadiers Carter, 
Monigel, Quarles, Cockerill, and Scott were wounded ; 
and Brigadier-General Gordon a prisoner — thirteen gen- 
eral officers hors du combat ! Nor were the losses 
among his troops less extraordinary : 1,750 were buried 
upon the field, 3,800 were so severely wounded as to be 
sent to the hospitals. in Franklin, and 702 were prisoners ; 
niakino^ an ag^sfreo-ate of 6,252. The Union loss was 189 
killed, 1,033 wounded, and 1,104 missing — an aggregate 
of 2,326. 

No sooner was the battle definitely ended than Gen- 
enei-al Schofield gave the order for marching ; and the 
early morning of the 1st of December saw the wearied 
and wayworn heroes entering Nashville, after a night- 
march of eighteen miles. 

There had been great interests involved in this race of 
the two armies of forty-three miles, from Columbia to 
Nashville. If Hood could have overtaken and passed 
Schofield, or defeated and routed him, he would have 
accomplished his purpose of regaining Tennessee ; for he 
would have divided Thomas's army, and could have 
overwhelmed the position at Nashville, probably, by sheer 
weight of numbers, and not only Tennessee but Kentucky 
would have been at his mercy. But General Thomas 
was as skilful in his selection of officers as General Grant : 
he knew that he could trust implicitly the energv, daring, 
rapidity of movement, and skilful strategy of Schofield ; 
that though it might require almost superhuman exer- 
tions to accomplish it. Hood would not be suffered to 



200 OUR GRE^T CAPTAINS. 

win the race; and hence, through that trying week from 
Nov. 23 to Dec. 1, he was, though straming every 
nerve to bring up his forces, calm, cool, and collected ; 
and when Hood, on the 2d of December, appeared be- 
fore the fortifications of Nashville with his advanced 
guard, he was already, to all intents and purposes, beaten. 
Schofield's army, though sorely jaded, were in good con- 
dition, requiring only rest for a day or two before an- 
other struggle ; A. J. Smith's large and finely disciplined 
divisions had come in by transports on the 30th of No- 
vember ; Steedman, with his division from Chattanooga, 
had arrived on the 1st of December. The citizens of 
Nashville capable of bearing arms, and the railroad, 
quartermaster's, and commissary's employes, forming to- 
gether a force of nearly ten thousand, had been trained 
and disciplined under General Donaldson ; while Wilson's 
cavalry, which for want of horses had hitherto been in- 
ferior to that of the enemy, was now rapidly being 
mounted. 

General Thomas's forces now somewhat outnumbered 
Hood's, and he had the strong works in front of Nash- 
ville, works perfected during the previous few weeks, 
and the gunboats, which protected the river, and which 
would efiectually guard his flanks, to protect his troops 
against assault. Hood had sent Forrest's cavalry to try 
to cross the Cumberland at various points, and make a 
raid into Kentucky; but the gunboats so eflfectually 
guarded the river, that that rough rider could find no 
place of passage. Nashville lies in a bend of the Cum- 
berland, much as Franklin does on the Harpeth ; and 
having the gunboats to guard his flanks. General Thomas 
had only need to stretch his works across the bend, and 
station his cavalry on the north side to guard the rail- 
road lines. Hood had had a surfeit of prompt assaults, 



GENERAL THOMAS. 201 

and in this instance, the only one in his career where a 
sudden assault could have done him any service, he hesi- 
tated, skirmished a little, and finally sat down to besiege 
the city, taking position on a line of hills about four or 
five miles south of the city. This sealed his fate. Gen- 
eral Thomas tempted him in every possible way to at- 
tack him — bombarding his lines, making feints of attack, 
or stirring him up by shells on his flanks from the gun- 
boats. It was all in vain. Hood was evidently of the 
opinion that he could starve Thomas out or compel him 
to evacuate the city by merely investing his works on 
the south front. 

At length, finding that Hood could not be coaxed or 
driven into an attack. General Thomas determined to 
assume the oflfensive himself. On the afternoon of the 14th, 
there being indications of a thaw, he issued his special 
field orders to his commanders, detailing his plan of battle, 
and assigning to each his part. The right of his line 
rested on the Cumberland, covered by gunboats, and 
consisted of the Sixteenth army corps, Major-General 
A. J. Smitli commanding, on the extreme right. The 
Fourth army corps (Stanley's), Brigadier-General T. J. 
Wood temporarily commanding, formed the right cen- 
tre ; the Twenty-third army corps, Major-General Scho- 
field commanding, the left centre ; while a provisional 
organization of white and colored troops, under com- 
mand of Major-General Steedman, occupied the extreme 
left, which, like the right, w^as covered by gunboats. 
General Steedman had also the command of the interior 
line, extending along the inner fortifications, and which 
was manned by the garrison of Nashville and the quar- 
termaster's troops. 

His plan of action was to demonstrate boldly on his 
left (Hood's right), where the enemy was strongest, and 



202 OUK GREAT CAPTAINS. 

thus attract still more of Hood's troops to that wing, 
while his actual attack would be made by massing his 
troops on Hood's left, which was his weakest point, and 
thus, with the aid of the gunboats, pusli and roll back 
his left wing upon the centre, and having got well in 
upon his flank and rear, crush his centre also, for his 
first day's work. For the second day, he proposed to 
hurl his forces upon his right till that should be over- 
powered and give way, when he would envelop his army, 
and either capture it entire, or so bruise and crush it 
that Hood should be glad to make his escape from Ten- 
nessee on any conditions. 

This programme was carried out almost without varia- 
tion. In accordance with General Thomas's orders, 
General Steedman, before dawn, deployed on the left a 
lieavy line of skirmishers, consisting principally of colored 
troops ; and soon after daylight he pushed his Hne up to 
and across the Murfreesboro' turnpike. After a stout 
but brief resistance the enemy's pickets fell back, and 
Steedman pursued until he came face to face to a battery 
planted on the further side of a deep rocky cut of the 
Chattanooga Railroad, which was too long for his line to 
flank, and impossible for it to cross. Here they met with 
considerable loss, as they could not charge the battery ; 
but their attack had been so eager and vehement that it 
had accomplished its purpose. Hood believing that the 
Union army was there in force, and drawing from his 
already enfeebled left, troops to strengthen still further 
his right. This proved a costly and grievous mistake 
for him ; for, a few minutes later, A. J. Smith's corps, 
followed by Wood's, and supported and covered by the 
cavalry, swept like an avalanche upon the enemy's left, 
rolling it up, storming its batteries, and flanking his po- 
sitions, and compelling him to fall back upon his centre. 



GENERAL THOMAS. 203 

Desiring to gain still further on Hood's flank, General 
Thomas sent Schofield, who had thus far been chafing 
in reserve, around Smith's right, to still further outflank 
the enemy, and gain, if possible, the rear of the new and 
strong position to which he had fallen back. The fight- 
ing for this purpose was stubborn, and it was not till 
near nightfall, when the Fourth corps, under General 
Wood, charged and carried Hood's most advanced posi- 
tion, that the task of the day seemed Ukely to be accom- 
plished. Sixteen pieces of artillery and about 1,200 pris- 
oners, besides large quantities of small-arms and about 
40 wagons, were the fruits of this day's fighting. As 
General Thomas left the position he had occupied during 
most of the day, he said to an oflicer of his stafl*, " So 
fer, I think, we have succeeded pretty well. Unless 
Hood decamps to-night, to-morrow Steedman will 
double up his right, Wood will hold his centre, and 
Smith and Schofield again strike his left, while the cav- 
alry work away at his rear." 

Hood, finding his fortifications, on which he had be- 
stowed so much labor, no longer tenable, abandoned 
them during the night ; and {shortening his lines, planted 
himself squarely across the Granny White and Franklin 
turnpikes, to cover his trains, which he had already com- 
menced hurrying to the rear. His new position, which, 
with a view to the emergency, he had selected and for- 
tified several days before, was a very strong one, his 
front line being scarcely three miles in length, occupying 
the wooded crests of closely connecting hills ; and the 
two keys to his position, the Granny White and Franklin 
pikes, were strongly fortified. Here, then, he stood, 
ready to deliver the final battle, which was to decide 
whether he should retain his foothold in Tennessee, or 
whether, with his troops routed and demoralized, he 



204 OTJR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

must make a rapid flight towards the Tennessee River 
in mid-winter, with Thomas's victorious legions at his 
heels, taking prisoners and supplies at every swoop, and 
utterly ruining the proud army which had advanced so 
boldly into the very heart of the Union territory. 

At dawm the Union troops were in motion ; over, into, 
and through Hood's abandoned lines, and on tow^ards 
his new position, till his heavy curtain of skirmishers and 
the booming of his artillery checked for a few moments 
the ardor of their advance. Thomas had sent a heavy 
force of his cavalry, by a considerable detour^ to strike 
Hood's rear, and commenced again demonstrating on 
the enemy's right with Steedman's and Wood's corps, 
sheUing the batteries on the Overton Hills and the rebel 
lines on Overton Knob, simply with the intent of holding 
Hood in position there. Smith and Schofield, with 
Croxtin's and Hatch's cavalry brigades, were held back, 
skirmishing and feeling the enemy's position at all points 
on the right, but not allowed to go into action, thotjgh 
their troops were like hounds straining at the leash. It 
was near four o'clock p.m., and as yet nothing had been 
done. At length Thomas heard the welcome sound of 
the prolonged lire of rifles, and the rapid reverberation 
of the Spencer carbine, sweeping round the rebel flank 
and creeping up along Hood's rear, telling that Wilson's 
cavalry were at their work, and instantly gave the order 
to Smith and Schofield to advance ; but they had heard 
and interpreted it as soon as he, and before his order 
could reach them both had given the word for an assault ; 
and with bayonets levelled and cheers that made the 
rebels shake in their shoes, both corps swept forward, up 
to, over and around the rebel works ; while Wood and 
Steedman, catching up the inspiration, rushed gallantly 
at the works in their front ; and after a short but in- 



GKNERAL THOMAS. 205 

tensely fierce engageraent the entire line carried all be- 
fore it. The rebel resistance, while it lasted, was as des- 
perate as in any battle of the war ; but in thirty minutes 
it was all over — the day was lost, and they, panic- 
stricken, were hurrying pell-mell down the Granny 
"White and Franklin turnpikes, throwing every thing 
aside in their mad haste to get away. Muskets, blankets, 
knapsacks, every thing was abandoned, if they might 
but escape from the grasp of the Yankee troops, which 
seemed to surround them everywhere. 

The pursuit was continued relentlessly for a fortnight, 
and though Hood succeeded in forming a strong rear- 
guard of about 4000 infantry and all his available cavalry 
under command of General Forrest, this was the only 
organized portion of his troops, the remainder being a 
mere demoralized mob, who, shoeless, hungry, and 
hard-bestead, pushed on in despair through the deep 
mud towards the further banks of the Tennessee. 

The killed and wounded numbered not less than 10,000 
during the two days ; and 13,189 prisoners, besides 2,207 
rebel deserters, were captured there or picked up in the 
pursuit. Eighty cannon, with gun-carriages and cais- 
sons, 3,079 small-arms, and numerous battle-flags, were 
among the trophies of this great victory. The Union 
loss, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, was less than 
10,000. 

On the 8th of December, Forrest, who had been de- 
monstrating against the Union force at Murfreesboro* 
for several days, was attacked by General Milroy at 
General Rousseau's order, and defeated and routed ; 
while Breckinridge, who had led about 6,000 troops into 
East Tennessee, was completely routed and driven from 
the region by General Stoneman. 

Hood having finally succeeded in reaching Alabama 
18 



206 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

with his shattered remnant of an array, General Thomas 
was about to send his troops into winter-quarters ; but 
General Grant disapproving, he exeited himself to the 
utmost in filling up his ranks, and organizing the finest 
cavalry force ever called into the field on this continent. 
Schofield was presently sent to Wilmington, and after 
the capture of that important point joined Sherman at 
Goldsboro'. Wilson, with a cavalry force of about 
15,000, swept through Selma, Montgomery, West Point, 
Columbus, and Macon ; and a detachment of his cavalry 
hunted most perseveringly, and finally captured, Jefferson 
Davis, the rebel chief. Gordon Granger, who had been 
with his Thirteenth corps at Stevenson and its vicinity 
during the Nashville battle, was sent to Mobile, to aid 
in its reduction; and A. J. Smith's corps followed it; 
and the two, with the aid of a division of colored troops, 
under General Steele, and the naval squadron under 
command of Admiral Thatcher, succeeded in the capture 
of that rebel stronghold. Stoneman, with a fine cavalry 
force, moving eastward from Knoxville on the 14th of 
March, captured the rebel ports in Southwestern Vir- 
ginia, threatened Lynchburg, and on the 12th of April 
entered Salisbury, N. C. ; and seizing there an im- 
mense quantity of rebel stores and supplies, effec- 
tually blocked all further progress on the part of John- 
ston. 

The gallantry of General Thomas at Nashville, and 
the efficiency of his pursuit, won for him the rank of 
major-general in the regular army, in January, 1865. 
On the reduction and reorganization of the army at' the 
close of the war, he was appointed, by general order of 
June 27, 1865, commander of the military division of 
the Tennessee, embracing the four departments of Ten- 
nessee, Kentucky, Georgia, and Alabama, commanded 



GENERAL THOMAS. 207 

severally by Generals Stoneman, Palmer, Steedman, and 
C. R. Wood. 

General Thomas, being from a State in rebellion, has 
had no political influence at his back to advocate his 
claims to advancement or to extol his victories in Con- 
gress, and he is of too modest and retiring a disposition 
ever to push them himself. Hence he has not received 
in the past the honor to which his great merit entitled 
him ; but he has been content to work his way upward, 
and let his countrymen judge of what he had been able 
to do for his country ; and in the end, modest merit has 
triumphed. 

In person. General Thomas is tall, standing about six 
feet two in his stockings, and finely proportioned. His 
complexion is fair, though now bronzed by exposure, his 
hair brown, his beard sandy, his eye blue and keen, his 
countenance so frank, open, and winning, that it attracts 
at once. He is thought personally to resemble Washing- 
ton, with whom he has also many traits of character in 
common. He is greatly beloved by his soldiers, who 
speak of him as " Pap" Thomas, and feel the sort of con- 
fidence in his knowledge, his military skill, and his good- 
ness which a young child feels for its father. It would 
be very hard to persuade those who have served under 
him, from Mill Spring onward, that any other general 
in the army was quite equal to " Pap" Thomas. 

If a blameless life, purt^ and noble aspirations, remark- 
able modesty, an amiable and even temper, great pa- 
tience and perseverance, and untiring energy and per- 
sistency, with a calm, clear head, close observation, and 
a thorough mastery of his profession, are the qualities to 
make a good general, then George H. Thomas is entitled 
to rank among the great and good generals of our time. 




<:2)v2^./Vpy 




Richardson. Publislio.r 



IV. 
Major-General Philip Henry Sheridan. 

General Sheridan is by nearly ten years the youngest 
officer among our " Great Captains," having been born 
in 1831. The exact place of his birth is involved in some 
uncertainty, the army registers crediting Massachusetts 
with being the birth State of the hero ; while his friends 
generally concur in stating that he was born in Perry 
county, Ohio. His parents certainly resided in that 
county when he was but Httle beyond infancy. 

The influence of his friends was sufficient to secure 
young Sheridan an appointment as cadet at West Point, 
from the congressional district to which he belonged, 
and in 1848, having passed with honor the prehminary 
examination, he was admitted into the Military Acad- 
emy ; and though at first he was not remarkable for 
proficiency, and remained a second year in the fourth 
class, he improved rapidly in scholarship as he went on, 
and exhibited superior excellence in the more active 
duties of the course. He graduated in 1853 w^ith honor, 
having as classmates the lamented McPherson, Major- 
General Schofield, Generals Terrill, Sill, and Tyler, and 
the rebel General Hood. On his graduation, he entered 
the army as brevet second-lieutenant of infantry, and was 
attached to the first regiment U. S. A. He was at once 
ordered to join his regiment, then serving in Texas, and 
early in the autumn took bis position in his company at 
Foit Duncan. Here he was employed constantly in ser- 

18* 



O10 



OUR GREAT CAPTAINS, 



vice against the Apaches and Camanches, the robber 
Indian tribes of the Southwest. On one occasion, he 
and two of the sohliers belonging to the fort were at- 
tacked a sliort distance from it by a band of Apaches, 
when Sheridan, springing instantly upon the bare back 
of tlie fiery Mustang from which the Indian chief had 
just dismounted, galloped to the fort, called the soldiers 
to arms, and seizing his pistols without dismounting, rode 
back to the rescue of the two men he had left behind, 
and who, armed with rifles, were still fighting. Riding 
up to the Apache chief, he instantly shot him dead ; and 
then, his comrades having come up, rode down and killed 
most of the other savages. For this brilliant affair he 
was entitled to distinction, but the commanding ofKcer 
(since a rebel general) was prejudiced against him for 
his Northern birth, and declared him guilty of a breach 
of discipline in being away from his command. 

This petty persecution was followed by others, till 
Lieutenant Sheridan felt himself compelled to seek a 
transfer to some other department. Tins was accom- 
plished in the spring of 1855, by his assignment to a full 
second-lieutenancy in the Fourth infantry regiment, then 
serving in Oregon. He returned to New York, in order 
to sail thence to the Pacific coast ; and while waiting for 
the recruits who vvere to go out with him, was for two 
months in command of Fort Wood, in New York harbor. 
In July, 1855, he sailed for San Francisco; and on ar- 
riving there, was at once selected to command the es- 
cort which accompanied the expedition for surveying the 
route for the proposed branch of the Pacific railroad to 
connect San Francisco with the Columbia river. This 
accomplished, he was sent on expeditions into the Yakima 
Indian country, to put down the threatened warlike de- 
monstrations of that tribe. He succeeded in gaining the 



GENERAL SHERIDAN. 211 

esteem and confidence of the Indians, and exerted his 
influence snccessfiiUy in keeping them on friendly terms 
>vith the whites. He was subsequently selected to adjust 
difficulties with other tribes of Indians, and accomplished 
his mission so admirably as to receive high commendation 
from the lieutenant-general. He continued in these im- 
portant duties, building posts among the Indian tribes, 
and greatly beloved by them, till 1861 ; when, on the res- 
ignation of several Southern officers in order to join the 
Southern rebellion. Lieutenant Sheridan was advanced to 
the rank of first-lieutenant, and ordered to return to the 
East. On the increase of the regular infixntry of the 
United States army, he was promoted to the rank of 
captain in the regular army, with a commission dating 
from May 14, 1861, and assigned to the Thirteenth regi- 
ment of infantry. 

In September, 1861, Captain Sheridan was ordered to 
ioin his regiment at Jefterson barracks, near St. Louis^ 
Mo., and appointed to audit the claims arising from the 
operations of the army during the campaign in Missouri ; 
and this accomplished, he was appointed chief quarter- 
master and commissary of the army then organizing for 
operations in Southwestern Missouri. This proved a 
laborious duty, but with his indomitable energy he suc- 
ceeded in accomplishing it; and in March, 1862, he was 
appointed chief quartermaster of the Western Department, 
General Ilalleck's entire command of sixteen divisions, 
with the rank of major. His service in this position was 
short, for the necessity for good cavalry commanders 
was such, that his superior officers were compelled to 
consent to his service in the field in that capacity ; and 
on the 27th of May he was commissioned colonel of the 
2d regiment of Michigan Volunteer Cavalry, and imme- 
diately ordered to the duty of joining in the expedition 



212 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

to cut the railroads south of Corinth, to prevent the 
escape of the rebels southward on the evacuation of 
Corinth. The expedition proved successful, though ex- 
posed to some perils, from which they were relieved by 
the adroit management of Colonel Sheridan. Immedi- 
ately on their return they were sent out again to pursue 
the rebels, who, at this time, were retreating from 
Corinth, and in the pursuit Colonel Sheridan's regiment 
encountered the rebel left wing, and resisted and repelled 
the attack of two regiments of infantry, two of cavalry, 
and a battery of artillery, capturing and bringing off the 
guns of Powell's rebel battery. 

On the 6th of June, Colonel Sheridan led a cavalry 
reconnoissance below Boonesville ; and at Donaldson's 
cross-roads met and signally defeated a force of rebel 
cavalry, under the notorious Forrest. On the 8th of 
June, in command of two cavalry regiments (his own 
and the 2d Iowa), he started in pursuit of the enemy, 
drove them through the town of Baldwin, which he cap- 
tured, and to Guntown, where he engaged a force much 
larger than his own, but with success, and before the 
close of the engagement received orders to fall back to 
Boonesville, from whence he accompanied the main army 
back to Corinth, 

On the 11th of June, 1862, he was put in command of 
a cavalry brigade, and on the 26th, ordered to take up 
a position at Boonesville, twenty miles in advance of the 
main army, and cover the front of the army, at the same 
time watching the operations of the rebels whom he con- 
fronted. 

While at this place, on the 1st of July, 1862, he was 
attacked by a rebel force of nine regiments, comprising 
nearly 6,000 men, under command of General Chal- 
mers. After skirmishing for some time he fell back 



GENERAL SHERIDAN. 213 

towards his camp, which was situated on the edge of a 
swamp, an advantageous position, where he could not 
readily be flanked, and could hold the enemy at bay for 
some time. Finding that the enemy, with their greatly 
superior numbers, were likely to surround him, he had 
recourse to strategy. Selecting ninety of his best men, 
armed with revolving carbines and sabres, he sent them 
around to the rear of the enemy by a detour of about 
four miles, with orders to attack promptly and vigor- 
ously at a certain time, while he would make a simulta- 
neous charge in front. The plan proved a complete suc- 
cess. The ninety men appeared suddenly in the enemy's 
rear, not having been seen till they were near enough to 
fire their carbines, and, having emptied these, they rushed 
with drawn sabres upon the enemy, who, supposing them 
to be the advance guard of a large force, were thrown 
into disorder ; and, before they had time to recover, 
Sheridan charged them in front with such fury that they 
fled from the field in complete disorder, utterly routed. 
Sheridan pursued, and they continued their flight, ut- 
terly panic-stricken, to Knight's mills, twenty miles 
south from Boonesville, throwing away their arms, 
knapsacks, coats, and every thing which could impede 
their flight. 

General Grant reported this brilliant affair to the War 
Department, with a recommendation that Colonel Sheri- 
dan should be promoted. This recommendation was 
granted, and his commission of brigadier-general bore 
dat-e July 1, 1862. 

At this time the rebels in his front had but one stream 
(Twenty Mile creek) from which to water their live- 
stock, and from his post at Boonesville General Sheridan 
frequently made sudden dashes in that direction, and 
captured large quantities of their stock, often two or 



214: OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

three hundred at a time. In August, 1862, he was at- 
tacked by a rebel cavalry force under Colonel Faulkner, 
near Rienzi, Mississippi, but after a sharp engagement 
the rebels were defeated and retreated in haste, Sheridan 
pursuing them to near Ripley, and, charging upon them 
before they could reach their main column, dispersed the 
whole force, and captured a large number of prisoners. 
Early in September, 1862, General Grant having ascer- 
tained that the rebel General Bragg was moving towards 
Kentucky, detached a portion of his own forces to rein- 
force the Army of the Ohio, then under command of 
General Buell. Among these were General Sheridan, 
and his old command, the Second Michigan Cavalry. 
As General Grant expected, General Buell gave Sheri- 
dan a larger command, assigning him to the charge of 
the third division of the Army of the Ohio. He assumed 
command of this division on the 20th of September, 1862. 
At this time General Bragg was approaching Louisville, 
which was not in a good condition for defence, and Gen- 
eral Sheridan was charged with the duty of defending 
it. In a single night, with the division under his com- 
mand, lie constructed a strong line of rifle-pits from the 
railroad depot to tlie vicinity of Portland, and thus se- 
cured the city against the danger of surprise. On the 
25th of September, General Buell arrived at Louisville, 
and soon commenced a reorganization of the Array of 
the Ohio, now largely reinforced. In this reorganiza- 
tion. General Sheridan was placed in command of the 
eleventh division, and entered upon his duties on the 
1st of October. 

Buell soon took the offensive again, and began pushing 
the rebels, who had already commenced a retreat, but 
were embai-rassed by the amount of plunder they had 
collected. On the 8th of October, the rebels made a 



GENERAL SHERIDAN. 215 

stand near Perryville, Ky., for the double purpose ot 
checking the pursuit aud allowing their ti'ains to move 
forward out of harm's way. The battle wliich followed, 
tiiougii a severe one, was not decisive, owing to some 
defects in the handling of the forces, and Bragg was 
allowed to make good his retreat with most of his plun- 
der and with but moderate loss : but in it Sheridan 
played a distinguished part, holding the key of the Union 
position, and resisting the onsets of the enemy again and 
again, with great bravery and skill, driving them at last 
from the open ground in front by a bayonet charge. 
This accomplished, he saw that they were gaining advan- 
tage on the left of the Union line, and moving forward 
his artillery, directed so terrible a fire upon the rebel ad- 
vance that he drove them from the open ground on 
which they had taken position. Enraged at being thus 
foiled, they charged with great fury upon his lines, de- 
termined to carry the point at all hazards ; but, with the 
utmost coolness, he opened upon them at short range 
with such a murderous tire of grape and canister, that 
they fell back in great disorder, leaving their dead and 
wounded in winrows in front ol' the batteries. The loss 
in Sheridan's division in killed and wounded was over 
four hundred, but his generalship had saved the Union 
army from defeat. On the 30th of October, General 
Rosecrans succeeded General Buell as commander of the 
Ai'my of the Ohio, which, with enlarged territory, was 
thenceforward to be known as the Army of the Cumber- 
land, and in the reorganization General Sheridan was as- 
signed to the command of one of the divisions of 
McCook's corps, which constituted the right wing of that 
army. He renunned for the next seven or eight weeks 
in the vicinity of Nashville^ and then moved with his 
corps, on the 26th of December, 1862, towards Murfrees- 



216 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

boro. During the 26th, his division met the enemy on 
the Nolensville road, and skirmished with them to No- 
lensville and Knob gap, occupying at night the latter 
important position. The next morning a dense fog ob- 
scured the horizon ; but as soon as it Hfted, Sheridan 
pressed forward and drove the enemy from the village 
of Triune, which he occupied. 

The next three days were spent in skirmishing, and in 
gradually drawing nearer, over the almost impassable 
roads, to Murfreest)oro, the goal of their hopes. At 
length, on the night of the 30th of December, the army 
was drawn up in battle array on the banks of Stone riv- 
er ; and to the right wing was assigned the duty of re- 
pelling the first onset of the enemy, and holding it at 
bay, while the left wing should swing round upon Mur- 
freesboro. Sheridan's position was on the extreme left 
of the right wing, joining the centre. To his right were 
Davis's and Johnson's divisions ; on his left, Negley, in 
command of one of Thomas's divisions. The record of 
that fearful battle, the next day, belongs, properly, to 
history. The enemy, at dawn, falling eyi masse upon the 
extreme end (Johnson's division) of the right wing, rolled 
it up, and drove back in utter discomfiture brigade after 
brigade, till Johnson's and Davis's divisions were crum- 
bled in pieces, and the victorious rebel column swept 
dowm in irresistible force upon Sheridan's command, 
hoping to roll that back also, but were met with a reso- 
lution and determination which checked for the time 
their further progress. His support on the right (Davis's 
division) being gone, Sheridan wheeled in the face of 
the foe, and changed front, so as to avoid being flanked 
on the right. On came the enemy, only to be beaten 
back ; but relying on their great superiority of numbers, 
they returned to the charge four times ; and at length 



GENERAL SHEEIDAN. 217 

the rebels, having crushed Negley's division on his left, 
and in spite of another change of front threatening to 
outflank and surround him, and slain two of his brigade 
commanders, and nearly every colonel in the division, he 
found himself compelled to fall back, but did so in per- 
fect order. Tliis tenacity in holding his position against 
such overwhelming odds aided materially in enabling 
General Rosecrans to retrieve the disaster of the day, 
and on the subsequent days turn this defeat into a glo- 
rious victory. Falling back in good order, they did not 
disturb the lines of Rousseau's division, but united with 
and strengthened it to hold the rebels finally in check, 
while General Rosecrans formed a new and impregnable 
line. During the subsequent days, though holding an 
important position, Sheridan's division were not seriously 
engaged. 

General Rosecrans, in his report of this battle, pays 
the following high compliment to Sheridan's generalship : 
"Sheridan, after &\istsiimng four successive attacks, grad- 
ually swung his right round southeasterly to a north- 
western direction, repulsing the enemy four times, losing 
the gallant General Sill of his right, and Colonel Roberts 
of his left brigade ; when, having exhausted his ammuni- 
tion, Negley's division being in the same predicament 
and heavily pressed, after desperate fighting they fell 
back from the position held at the commencement, 
through the cedar woods, in which Rousseau's division, 
with a portion of ISTegley's and Sheridan's, met the ad- 
vancing enemy and checked his movements." 

For his gallantry in this battle, General Rosecrans 
suggested, and the President recommended Sheridan's 
promotion to the rank of major-general, his commission 
to date from December 31st, 1862. He was at once 
confirmed by the Senate. 

19 



218 OUE CHEAT CAPTAINS. 

In March, ]863, General Sheridan commanded a scont^ 
ing expedition, in wliich lie fully reconnoiti'ed the 
enemy's position, took a considerable nniid)er of pi'is- 
oners, and defeated several bodies of rebel troops which 
were sent ont to meet him, and returned Mith a loss of 
only five killed and five wounded. For some months he 
was engaged in bringing his men into the highest state 
of drill and discipline, while awaiting a forward move- 
ment. 

The advance, so long expected, took place on the 23d 
of June, 18G3, and to Sheridan's division was assigned 
the duty of driving the rebels out of Liberty Gap, a 
strong mountain pass which was one of the keys to the 
rebel position. He was successful in this enterprise and 
soon occupied Shelbyville, which had been evacuated by 
the enemy as untenable after the capture of the gap. 
He did not remain long here, however, but pushed for- 
ward to Winchester, Tennessee, which, by a flank move- 
ment, he had compelled the eTiemy to abandon. The 
subsequent movements of the Army of the Cumberland 
in approaching Chattanooga w^ere slow, in consequence 
of the necessity of repairing the railroad and bringing 
forward supplies, and there were no incidents of import- 
ance till about the beginning of September, when the 
Army of the Cumberland crossed the Tennessee at dif- 
ferent points, — Sheridan's division moving to Bridge- 
port, and crossing on a pontoon bridge, and thence pass- 
ing by way of Trenton to Winston gap of Lookout 
mountain, thus flanking the rebel position at Chatta- 
nooga, and compelling them to evacuate that position. 
Though General Rosecrans had put a small garrison 
into Chattanooga, he well knew that he could only hold 
it by fighting Bi-agg's ai'my, which had retreated to- 
wards Lafayette ; and General Sheridan, who had beea 



GENERAL oHEEIDAN. 219 

ordered to make a reconnoissance, ascertained, on the 
12th of September, that the rebels had been largely re- 
inforced, the paroled prisoners of Vicksburg, one corps 
from Lee's army, and considerable bodies of troops from 
Charleston and Mobile having joined them. These ad- 
ditions made their force materially larger than that of 
General Rosecrans, which also, owing to the topograph- 
ical difficulties encountered, was scattered. By great 
efforts, however, he succeeded in concentrating them, 
and on the 19th and 20th of September was fought the 
battle of Chickamauga — a battle attended with great loss 
of life and manifold disasters, but which, after all, left in 
the hands of the Union army the substantial fruits of 
victory, inasmuch as they held Chattanooga, the prize 
for which both armies were contending. In this great 
battle. General Sheridan bore an honorable part. On 
the first day, his division, moving up promptly at the 
word of command, saved Wood's division from disaster, 
and retrieved the fortunes of the day. On the 20th, as 
at Stone river, the breaking of Brannan's and Wood's 
divisions imperilled Sheridan's, and though a part of it 
charged gallantly against the on-coming foe, it was at 
last flanked and compelled to fall back by the enemy ; 
but owing to the thorough discipHne enforced by its 
commander it rallied in good order in Dry valley, and 
taking a circuitous route came up by the Lafayette road 
in season to support General Thomas effectively in the 
long and desperate struggle of the afternoon and even- 
ing. It has always been a noticeable feature of General 
Sheridan's military character, that he possessed in an ex- 
traordinary degree the power of rallying, reforming, and 
leading on his men to victory when they were broken 
and discomfited. We shall see other instances of this in 
his history. 



220 OUK GliliAT CAPTAINS. 

A change of commanders followed soon after. Gen- 
eral Thomas succeeded General Rosecrans; the two corps 
commanded by Generals McCook and Crittenden were 
consolidated into one, under the command of General 
Gordon Granger ; and two corps of the Army of the Po- 
tomac, under General Hooker, and the army of the Ten- 
nessee, under General Sherman, were added to the force 
at ChaJ^tanooga, and the whole force placed under the 
command of General Grant. General Sheridan com- 
manded an enlarged division in General Granger's 
corps. 

Meantime Bragg still threatened the Union forces in 
Chattanooga, and at last sent a message that he was 
about to bombard the city. General Grant, who had 
been watching all his manoeuvres as keenly as a tiger 
watches its prey, ascertained that he had sent Long- 
street with 20,000 men to reconquer East Tennessee, 
and at once sprang upon him ; — sending Hooker's force 
to drive him from Lookout mountain, throwing forward 
Thomas's army to seize Orchard knob and the forts in 
front of Chattanooga, moving Sherman across the Ten- 
nessee to carry his position at the termination of 
Mission ridge, and assault persistently and determinedly 
the strong fort and rifle-pits on Tunnel hill (a cavalry 
expedition meantime cutting the East Tennessee rail- 
road), and, when Sherman had drawn by his repeated as- 
saults the greater part of Bragg's forces to Fort Buck- 
ner, hurling Gordon Granger's corps upon Fort Bragg, 
the strongest and most formidable of the defences of 
Mission ridge. Each body of troops did its work splen- 
didly ; but of all the movements in this grand combina- 
tion, that of Granger's corps against Mission ridge was 
the most brilliant and heart-stirring. Between three and 
four o'clock p. M., at the signal, the firing of six guns, 



GENERAL SHEKIDAN. 221 

that magnificent coi-ps, almost wholly composed of vet- 
erans, sprang at once to arras, and in five minutes were 
on their way across the plain swept by the fire of fifty 
cannon and five thousand muskets,— not a man flinching, 
not a straggler falling back from the firm lines that 
moved with the precision of macliinery towards the 
mountain. With a shout they enter and clear the first 
rifle-pits, flinging the captured rebels back into the 
storm of iron and leaden hail through which they have 
just passed. With another shout they commence the as- 
cent of the mountain, a difficult task even without oppo- 
sition,— tenfold more difficult now, when the air is filled 
with missiles which rain pitilessly upon them : up, up to the 
second rifle-pits, which they clear with a bound, turn- 
bling their occupants down the steep mountain-side; and 
up, up again, though the ascent is almost perpendicular, 
till almost breathless they reach the summit, and bound- 
ing upon it, realize from the swift retreat of the foe that 
the field is won. 

In this grand assault, General Sheridan and his divis- 
ion were nobly conspicuous. He had felt keenly the 
breaking of his division at Chickamauga, though it was 
so nobly atoned for in their subsequent support of General 
Thomas, and riding in the advance, he called in thunder 
tones to his division, " Show the Fourth corps that the 
men of the old Twentieth are still alive and can fight. 
Remember Chickamauga." Ever in the front, and 
always coolest in the moment of the greatest peril, he took 
a flask from one of his aids, filled the pewter cup, and 
raising his cap to the rebel battery, drank it off" with a 
" how are you ?" never checking for a moment the speed 
of his advance. The rebels most ungenerously respond- 
ed by firing the six guns of one of their batteries at the 
darino- rider, and showering him with earth, but doing 

19* 



222 OUK GEEAT CAPTAINS. 

no Other damage. Cheering his men forward to the 
charge, he now put spurs to his noble steed, and ere 
many minutes passed was on the summit, dashing after 
the rebels. For a few minutes tliere was sharp lighting, 
and General Sheridan's horse was killed under him, and 
he leaped at once upon a rebel cannon ; but as he could 
not keep up with his men on this, he soon found another 
horse, and pushed on down the eastern slope of Mission 
ridge, after the now fast-flying enemy, pushing them as 
far as Mission mills, where, the next day, other troops 
took up the pursuit. Two days later, he was on his way 
wdth his division, under General Sherman's command, to 
raise the siege of Knoxville, and this accomplished, re- 
turned to Chattanooga. In February, he was again sent 
into East Tennessee, in command of two divisions of 
troops, to drive the rebels out of East Tennessee, which 
he accomplished, though not without great exposure and 
suffering. 

In March, 1864, General Grant having been promoted 
to the rank of lieutenant-general, and appointed to the 
command of all the armies of the United States, sum- 
moned the principal generals in the Westei'n departments 
to a special conference at Nashville. General Sheridan, 
among others, was present at this conference, and at its 
conclusion was ordered to report at Washington. At 
the beginning of April he was appointed to the command 
of the cavalry corps of the Army of the Potomac, reliev- 
ing General Pleasonton, who was ordered to report to 
General Rosecrans for duty in Missouri. 

His corps thoroughly organized, and each of its three 
divisions placed under the command of daring and capa- 
ble generals. General Sheridan reported himself ready 
for duty ; and when the first movement commenced on 
the 4th of May, 1 864, the cavalry corps was actively en- 



GENERAL SHERIDAN. 223 

gfiged in protecting the flanks of the Array of the Poto- 
mac, and reconnoitring the position and movements ot 
the enemy. In tlie performance of this duty they en- 
countered the rebel force in considerable numbers ; and 
actions of some importance occurred at Craig's church, 
at Parker's store, and at Todd's tavern. The cavah-y 
were also held responsible for the safety of the army 
trains and the ambulances containing the sick and 
wounded, for the-first four or five days of the campaign. 
On the 9th of May they were reheved from this duty ; 
and General Meade directed him to select the best 
mounted troops of his command and start off on an ex- 
pedition to the rear of Lee's army, and cut oft' his com- 
munications and suj)plies, allowing him full discretion as 
to the best plan of eftecting the object of the expedition. 
General Sheridan at once made preparation for tliis im- 
portant movement, selecting the staff-officers who were 
to accompany him, ordering the issuing of three days' 
rations to his men, and leaving behind every thing in 
the way of a train except the ammunition-wagons and 
two ambulances. The baggage actually indispensable 
was carried on pack-mules. Thus freed from incum- 
brances, he moved, on the same day on which General 
Meade's order was given, towards Fredericksburg ; but 
befoi-e reaching that city turned off towards Childsburg, 
and after a siiort rest moved thence to Beaver Dam sta- 
tion, on the Virginia Central road, crossing the North 
Anna river at the fords. At Beaver dam they found a 
rebel provost-guard, with more than three hundred 
Union prisoners, who had been captured the day before 
at Spottsylvania ; these they promptly released, taking 
the rebel guai-d prisoners. Thence moving towards 
Richmond, a detachment was sent to Ashland station, 
on the Fredericksburg road, w^here they destroyed rail 



224 OUE GREAT CAPTAINS. 

road-track, trains, station-houses, and other rebel gov- 
ernment property, and then after a sharp fight rejoined 
the main column. On the 11th of May, Sheridan's com- 
mand had reached a point within six niiles of Richmond. 
Here they encountered the rebel cavalry under the com- 
mand of Lieutenant-General J. E. B. Stuart in person ; 
and a severe battle took place, in which General Stuart 
was killed, and some rebel guns captured. The*" next 
morning, before daybreak, a detachment was sent tow- 
ards Richmond to reconnoitre, and penetrated to the 
second line of the defences of that city, within less than 
two miles of the capital, and having captured a rebel 
courier, withdrew. Early in the morning of May 12, 
Sheridan's advance aj^proached Meadow bridge on the 
Chickahominy, where they again encountered the enemy, 
who had destroyed the bridge and constructed defences 
commanding the railroad bridge, over which the Union 
troops must cross. Nothing daunted, Sheridan's gallant 
troopers dashed across ; and though compelled to traverse 
about half a mile of swampy ground, rushed on the rebel 
works, and carried them after a most determined resist- 
ance. 

Meantime, another rebel force had come up in his rear 
and surrounded his command. Cool and calm as the 
Union commander habitually was in the most trying cir- 
cumstances, here was a position to task his finest ener- 
gies in generalship. To attempt to retreat would inevit- 
ably be fatal ; to go forward was to encounter a rebel 
force greatly outnumbering his own, and to cross a dif- 
^ficult river (the Chickahominy) under their concentrated 
fire. His decision was quickly made. It was, to recon- 
struct the Meadow bridge over the Chickahominy, and 
cross it with his force and train. This he accomplished, 
though under fire all the time, keeping the rebels at bay 



GENERAL SHKRIDAif. 225 

with liis artillery the while, and rei3elling their charges 
by fierce counter-charges. Once or twice his men were 
slowly pressed back, but he encouraged them, and, figlit- 
ing under his eye, they soon regained their position. At 
length the bridge was completed, and his ammunition 
train was to be taken across it ; and, if the rebel fire con- 
tinued, it could scarcely escape destruction from explo- 
sion, a destruction which would Imperil his force and 
render their capture or death inevitable. But not for a 
single moment did his self-possession forsake him. When 
the train was leady for advancing, he ordered up an am- 
munition-wagon, supplied his men who had fallen back 
with fresh cartridges, and, placing himself at their head, 
said : " Boys, you see those fellows yonder ? They are 
green recruits just from Richmond. There's not a veteran 
among them. You have fought them well to-day, but 
we have got to whip them. We can do it, and we 
will !" The men responded with a rousing cheer, and 
with the order, "Forward! — Charge!" in his clear 
ringing tones, he led them on in a charge which sent 
the rebels flying back to their works ; and his artillery 
opened upon them, adding greatly to their terror. 
Under cover of this charge the train crossed in per- 
fect safety. Pressing hard upon the now beaten and 
demoralized foe, amid a most terrific thunder-storm, 
in which it was difficult to distinguish between the 
artillery of heaven and the thunder of his guns, he 
drove them back to Mechanicsville, and finally to Cold 
Harbor, capturing a considerable number, and encamped 
with his wearied command near Gaines' Mills. The next 
day he moved on to Bottom's bridge, and the day fol- 
lowing to General Butler's headquarters, not being mo- 
lested in any of his movements. He then opened com- 
munication with Yorktown, and thence with Washing 



226 OUE GRKAT CAPTAINS. 

ton. Other expeditions may have resulted in a larger 
destruction of property, the capture of more prisoners, 
or the traversing a larger region of territory, but none 
during the war has carried greater terror into the hearts 
of the enemy, or more gallantly extricated itself from a 
position of extraordinary difficulty. 

The next few days were spent in co-operation with the 
great army, now on its way towards the Chickahominy. 
General Sheridan's headquarters were at the White 
House, on the Pamunkey; but he was for the most part 
at the front, directing the movements of the cavalry pro- 
tecting both wings of Grant's army, and several times 
engaged in sharp conflicts with the rebel cavalry, now 
under the command of Fitzhugh Lee. On the 31st of 
May he took possession of Cold Harbor, his troops hav- 
ing orders to hold it until relieved by the infantry. This 
was done, though with considerable loss, for more than 
twenty-four houi's, when the infantry force came up ; and 
General Sheridan then moved forward and guarded the 
flank of Grant's army in its movement to and across the 
James. This accomplished, he set out on the 8th of 
June for a second cavalry expedition into the heart of 
the rebel country. This time his object was to penetrate 
northward and westward of Lee's lines, and cut the Vir- 
ginia Central railroad at some point which should eflcct- 
ually prevent the movement of supplies or troops from 
the Virginia and Tennessee railroad towards Richmond. 
Gordonsville and Charlottesville were the objective 
points at which he aimed ; and had his movements been 
properly sustained by those of General Hunter, he would 
have succeeded to the utmost of his hopes. As it was, 
however, 'he accomplished very much in the way of em- 
barrassing the enemy. Crossing the Pamunkey, he 
moved at once to Aylett's station ; thence the next day 



GENERAL SHERIDAN. 227 

to the Fred eri civ sburg railroad at Chesterfield station, 
where' he seriously damaged the railroad ; thence to 
Childsburg, Newmarket, and Mount Pleasant, and 
crossed E. N. E. creek at Young's bridge. On the morn- 
ing of the 10th of June he moved forward again; and hav- 
ing crossed both branches of the North Anna river, en- 
camped at Buck Childs, a small village three miles north 
of Trevilian station, on the Virginia Central railroad. It 
had been his intention to destroy the railroad from this 
point west for some distance, and then, marching through 
Everittsville, to cut the railroad extensively between 
Gordonsville and Charlottesville, and march at once 
upon Charlottesville. On arriving at Buck Childs, how- 
ever, he found the rebel cavalry in his front, and imme- 
diately prepared to give them battle. Recalling his old 
tactics at the West, he sent a part of his force to attack 
the rebels in rear, while he assailed them in the early 
morning of June 11th in front. The fighting w^as des- 
perate, but he at last drove them back from line after 
line of breastworks, through an almost impassable forest, 
to the station at Trevilian ; and here his detached troops 
attacking them in rear, their route was complete, and 
Sheridan established his headquarters that night at Tre- 
vilian. 

Th.e next morning, the railroad from Trevilian station 
to Louisa Court-House was completely destroyed, the ties 
burned, and the rails twisted and bent so as to be ut- 
terly unserviceable. This occupied from daybreak to 3 
p. M., of the 12th of June. The rebels, meantime, had 
concentrated in considerable force at Gordonsville, and 
advancing towards Trevilian, commenced the construc- 
tion of rille-pits at a distance of about four miles, to re- 
sist the movements of Sheridan. After a careful recon- 
noissance, General Sheridan found the enemy too strongly 



228 OUR GREAT CAPTAIlfS. 

posted to be effectively assailed by his light artillery, es- 
pecially as his ammunition was getting low, and there- 
fore declined a general assault. On the extreme right, 
however, the Union troops assaulted and carried the en- 
emy's lines again and again, but were eventually driven 
from them by the long-range guns of the rebel infantry ; 
and finding his ammunition giving out, and being unable 
to obtain forage for his horses, General Sheridan deter- 
mined to withdraw ; but he carried out this determina- 
tion in a characteristic way. Returning to Trevilian 
station, he ordered supper, inviting his generals to sup 
with him ; and having given orders for the removal of the 
wounded who could be moved, and detailed surgeons to 
stay, with those who were most severely injured, and 
perfected his order of march, he partook quietly of hi;; 
tea, and then set about the withdrawal of his force from 
a position in which nearly the entire cavalry of the rebel 
army confronted it. While the train and the rear di- 
visions were moving off with the wounded, he ordered 
forty rounds of canister to be fired at the rebel position ; 
and when the enemy, sorely cut up by this fire, attempted 
to take the battery by a bold, sudden dash, he charged 
upon them with a regiment of cavalry, at the same time 
pouring in a full round of canister at very short range, 
and hurled them back, while the gun was withdrawn, 
and then, when they were retreating, moved quietly 
back ; and all his men being, by day-dawn, well out of 
Trevilian station, he marched the next day fifteen miles, 
to Troyman's store, without the slightest opposition, and 
the day following (June 14th) reached the vicinity of 
Spottsylvania Court-house, which a month before had 
been the scene of such bloody and terrible battles. Here 
he remained a day, and on Wednesday evening reached 
Guiney's station, on the Fredericksburg and Richmond 



GENERAL SHERIDAN. 229 

railroad, where he established his headquarters for the 
time, but soon moved to White House, and thence 
marched to the James, to join General Grant. While 
moving towards the James, they were attacked by the 
enemy on the 23d of June, at Jones's bridge, over the 
Chickahominy, and on the 24th, near St. Mary's church, 
the rebels being on both occasions in strong force, and 
fully confident of their ability to overwhelm him. Sher 
idan acted entirely on the defensive, but produced such 
terrible havoc among the enemy with his artillery, fight- 
ing at short range, that they were in the end very will- 
ing to withdraw. During the afternoon and night of 
June 25th, General Sheridan crossed the James river, 
five miles above Fort Powhatan, on a pontoon bridge, 
protected on either side by gunboats, without loss, the 
enemy being kept at bay by the gunboats. 

During the next thirty days, his cavalry were engaged 
in cutting the railroads to the south and southwest of 
Petersburg; and on the 27th of July, crossed the James 
at Deep Bottom, and on the 28th, fought a severe battle 
with the rebels near Malvern Hill, holding their position 
for some hours against a greatly superior force. 

Meantime the third rebel invasion of Maryland and 
Pennsylvania, via the Shenandoah valley, was in prog- 
ress, and the national capital was more seriously threat- 
ened than ever before ; and Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, 
Ilagerstown and Frederick, Maryland, were occupied by 
the rebel General Ewell, and Baltimore endangered. 
This movement was intended to call oflT General Grant 
from the siege of Richmond, where the pressure of his 
grip was becoming unendurable ; but he was not to be 
thus lured from his prey ; he could and did spare one 
corps, the Sixth, to the defence of Washington ; but the 
other forces for the defence of that region must be drawn 

20 



230 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

from other sources. The Nineteenth corps, from the 
Department of the Gulf, was on its way thither, and the 
very considerable force in Western Virginia, Eastern and 
Western Pennsylvania, and Maryland, though partly 
composed of militia, was, if rightly handled, amply suffi- 
cient to hold the territory around Washington, and 
drive back the invader to Southern Virginia. It was, 
however, the misfortune of these troops to be included 
in four distinct military departments, the commanders of 
which, jealous of their respective prerogatives, did not 
co-operate harmoniously with each other. Washington 
and Baltimore, and the country adjacent, formed the 
Department of Washington ; Eastern and Central Penn- 
sylvania and Northern Maryland, the Department of 
the Susquehanna; Northwestern Virginia and Westerr 
Pennsylvania, the Department of West Virginia; and 
the region of the Shenandoah, and eastward to the Bull 
Run mountains, the Middle Department. It was one of 
those inspirations which have stamped General Grant as 
one of the ablest military minds of the century, which 
led him to propose the combination of these four depart- 
ments into one grand military division, to be called the 
Middle Military Division, and subsequently the Military 
Division of the Shenandoah. In the extent of its terri- 
tory, this division was hardly inferior to any of the others, 
and in the difficulty of its management, it yielded the 
palm to none. For its command, which required mili- 
tary genius of a very high order. General Grant, with 
his usual sagacity, selected General Philip H. Sheridan. 
Though the junior in years of every major-general in the 
division, he had already exhibited a skill and tact in 
handling troops, a combination of caution and audacity, 
a celerity of movement, and a fertility of resource, which 
indicated him as the man for the place. 



GENERAL SHERIDAN. 231 

On the 7th of August he received his command, and 
on the same day established his headquarters at Har- 
per's Ferry. Concentrating his troops at once along the 
Potomac, in the immediate vicinity of the Shenandoah 
Valley, whither General Early, now in command of the 
rebel forces, had withdrawn with his troops and plunder. 
General Sheridan gradually pressed the rebels back from 
the important positions of Martinsburg, Williamsport, 
&c., garrisoning these as fast as they were relinquished, 
and establishing complete and prompt communications 
between his headquarters and the advanced posts. He 
then began to make feints of an advance, in order to test 
the enemy's strength and position. Early, who prided 
himself on his astuteness, fell back gradually, for the pur- 
pose of luring Sheridan on; but Sheridan would not move 
till he was ready, and understood too fully Early's plots, 
and the objects to be accomplished, to make any prema- 
ture movements. As Early retired, however, he grad- 
ually occupied every important position, seizing and se- 
curing Winchester on thfe 12th of August, and throwing 
out a cavalry detachment to Front Royal, where they 
encountered and defeated, after a sharp struggle, the 
rebel cavalry. This accomplished, he fell back in turn, 
abandoning Winchester, and awaiting at Harper's Ferry 
and its vicinity the concentration of his forces. As he 
expected, this brought the rebel troops northward again, 
and several sharp skirmishes took place, Sheridan's cav- 
alry, under General Torbert, meantime reconnoitring 
thoroughly the enemy's position, and taking note of all 
his movements. Finding that there was some danger of 
their moving southward to join General Lee, a move- 
ment which was to be prevented at all hazards, Gen- 
eral Sheridan again advanced, as if to give them battle, 
and thus arrested their progress, and then again with 



232 OUR GKEAT OAP'I'AINS. 

drew towards Charlestown to attract them nearer to the 
Potomac. Genei-al Early thought Sheridan was afraid, 
and that by good management he might flank him, and 
entering Maryland again, reap another harvest of 
plunder. Accordingly, he moved east to Berryville, 
and issued a long general order to his troops, forbid- 
ding straggling and depredations upon the inhabitants 
of the Shenandoah Valley. 

General Early had entirely misconceived the character 
and abilities of his opponent, as he soon found to his 
cost. His movement ttd Berryville was made on the 16th 
of September, and it found Sheridan fully prepared to 
act. General Grant, by his heavy blows upon Lee's 
forces at Richmond and Petersburg, was effectually pre- 
venting that general from sending any aid to Early, and 
Sheridan's force was sufficient to handle his opponent 
very roughly. On the 18th of September his cavalry 
met and defeated the rebels at Darksville, on Ope- 
quan creek, north of Winchester, while his infantry had 
driven the main rebel force from Perryville towards' 
Winchester, where they had been joined by the rebel 
cavalry, retreating from Darksville. 

Sheridan had now his antagonist in the very position 
which he desired. He had crowded him west of 
Opequan creek, and by the location of his own army was 
between him and his true line of retreat towards Rich- 
mond, southeast through the gaps in the Blue ridge. 
If now, by quick and heavy blows, he could rout and 
drive him southwestward, he would effectually cripple 
him, for the time at least. The battle began at day- 
light on Monday morning, September 19th, by the at- 
tack of Wilson's cavalry on the rebels on the west bank 
of the Opequan. By some misunderstanding the infantry 
were not brought into the action till near noon, and 



GENERAL SHERIDAN. 233 

though the resistance of the rebels was stubborn and 
continued until 5 p. m., they were finally completely 
routed, driven through, or, as General Sheridan very 
forcibly expressed it in his dispatch, " sent whirling 
through Winchester," and pursued relentlessly till they 
reached their defences at Fisher's Hill, thirty miles be- 
low Winchester, where they succeeded in rallying for 
another stand. In this disastrous battle and retreat 
three of their ablest generals were killed and four more 
severely wounded. Among the latter was Fitzhugh 
Lee, the commander of the rebel cavalry of the Army of 
Virginia. They lost, also, between 3,000 and 4,000 in 
killed and wounded, nearly 5,000 prisoners, fifteen battle 
flags, and five pieces of artillery. 

With the celerity which has always marked his move- 
men-ts, Sheridan now brought up his entire force to as- 
sault the strong position of the rebels on Fisher's Hill. 
The works were too formidable to be carried by an at- 
tack in front alone, and therefore, while keeping up a 
feint of a front attack, the Eighth corps (General 
Crooks') was sent far to the right, and sweeping about 
the enemy's left, flanked him, attacked him in rear, in a 
gallant charge, driving him out of his intrenchments ; 
while the Sixth corps attacked at the same time in the 
centre, front, and the Nineteenth (Emory's) on the left ; 
Averill with his cavalry ranging the while along the base of 
South Mountain. Confused and disorganized by attacks 
at so many different points, the enemy broke at the cen- 
tre, and the Sixth corps separating his two wings, he fled 
in complete disorganization towards Woodstock'. Artil- 
lery, horses, wagons, rifles, knapsacks, and canteens were 
abandoned and strewn along the road. Eleven hundred 
prisoners and sixteen pieces of artillery were caj^tured ; 
the pursuit Avas continued until the 25th, and did not 
20* 



234 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

conclude till the enemy had been driven below Port 
Republic, and many of them had scattered in the moun- 
tains, sick of the conflict and determined to abaiidon it. 
The loss of the enemy from the 19Lh to the 25th of 
September, in killed, wounded, prisoners, and missing, 
was not less than 10,000. 

This victory occasioned great rejoicing throughout the 
North. Salutes were fired on the 26th of September at 
all military posts in the United States ; and the brave 
and skilful commander of the Army of the Shenandoah 
was appointed by the President a brigadier-general in 
the regular army, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the 
deatli of the lamented McPherson. 

While General Sheridan made his headquarters at 
Port Republic, he sent his cavalry under Genei'al Torbert 
forward to Staunton ; which place they captured, and de- 
stroyed all the storehouses, machine-shops, and other 
buildings, owned or occupied by the rebel govei-nment, 
and also the saddles, small-arms, hard bread, and other 
military stores found in the place. They then proceeded 
to Waynesboro, also on the Virginia Central railroad ; 
tore up seven miles of the railroad track, destroyed the 
depot, the iron bridge over the Shenandoah, a govern- 
ment tannery, and other stores. General Sheridan also 
improved the time of holding possession of the Shenan- 
doah valley to destroy all the grain, hay, and forage to 
be found there, excepting what was necessary for the 
subsistence of his own army; and thus effectually crippled 
both Early's army and Lee's, both of which had depended 
upon this fertile valley as the granary from which to 
draw most of their supplies of grain and forage. The 
whole valley being thus rendered untenable by the rebel 
army, and the guerilla movements, which had been en- 
couraged by the inhabitants, who bad harbored them, 



GEN-ERAL SHEBI'^AN. 235 

sternly repressed, General Sheridan moved leisiii-clv 
northward, and on the 6th of October made his head- 
quarters at Woodstock. South of this point, over two 
thousand barns filled with wheat and hay, and over 
seventy mills stocked with wheat and flour, had been 
destroyed ; and a vast herd of stock, and more than 
three thousand sheep, had been reserved for the supply 
of the army. The Luray valley, as well as the Little 
Fort valley, were subjected to the same devastation, — the 
inhabitants of both, like those of the Shenandoah, having, 
while professedly loyal, engaged in guerilla operations 
and the murder of Union soldiers. 

On the 8th of October, the rebel General Rosser, a 
cavalry oflicer of considerable ability, who had just been 
promoted to tlie rank of major-general, thinking that he 
had found an opportunity to achieve a reputation, began 
to harass Sheridan's rear. He did, indeed, gain a reputa- 
tion by this movement, but it was not an enviable one ; 
for Sheridan, facing about, offered battle, and finding 
him reluctant to accept it, ordered his cavaliy to attack 
by daylight on the morning of the 9th, one division 
charging along the Strasburg pike, while another, mov- 
ing by a back road, took the enemy in flank. The 
rebels, after a short resistance, were severely beat-en, and 
eleven pieces of aitillery, several caissons, a battery forge, 
Ibrty-seven wagons, and over three hundred prisoners, 
captured by the Union troops. The rebel cavalry fled in 
great terror on being charged by Sheridan's cavalry, 
and were pursued " on the jump" for twenty-six miles, 
the pursuit being continued beyond Mount Jackson, and 
across the south fork of the Shenandoah. 

General Early was not yet fully satisfied with the 
punishment he had received, and on the 12th of October, 
having crept up quietly under cover of the forest on 



236 OUE GEEAT CAPTAINS. 

Little North mountain, he appeared in force on the 
wooded slope south of Cedar creek, and commenced a 
heavy and rapid artillery fire on Sheridan's lines. He 
had not, however, approached so stealthily that General 
Sheridan was unaware of his movements, and with a 
promptness which showed that he was not surprised, he 
returned the artillery fire, shot for shot, and then order- 
ing forward his troops, sprang upon the foe, and after a 
sharp action of three hours, terminating in a cavalry 
charge, drove Early once more in confusion up the 
valley. 

Having thus disposed of General Early, General Sheri- 
dan made a flying visit of inspection to his various out- 
posts, and employed a part of his cavalry meantime in 
making a thorough devastation of Luray valley from 
Front Royal to Sperryville, the inhabitants of that valley 
having harbored and aided the guerrillas and bush- 
whackers, who were murdering the operatives along the 
Manassas Gap railroad, which General Sheridan was put- 
ting in repair. In this expedition sixty-five hundred head 
of cattle and five hundred horses were captured, and 
thirty-two large flouring-mills, thirty distilleries, four 
blast-furnaces, and over fifty barns were destroyed. By 
holding Front Royal, General Sheridan was enabled to 
open communication, by way of the Manassas Gap rail- 
road, with Washington, and thus transport his supplies 
and troops more expeditiously than he could do by way 
of Harper's Ferry. This railroad was opened on the 15th 
of October, and General Sheridan passed over it to Wash- 
ington. 

It was while he was thus absent, that Early planned 
another attack upon the Union army, which was well- 
nigh successful, and which, in all respects, proved one of 
the most remarkable battles of the war. 



GENERAL SHERIDAN. 237 

After the battle of the 12tli, General Early had fallen 
back to his stronghold on Fisher's Hill, where the dense 
forest screened his movements from the view of the 
Union troops; and here, on the 18th of October, he had 
been reinforced by about twelve thousand fresh troops, 
half, or more than half of them without arms, but organ- 
ized and officered, and ready for battle so soon as they 
should be able to obtain arms from prisoners or the slain 
upon the battle-field. This accession made his force 
twenty-seven thousand. He had learned of Sheridan's 
visit to Washington, and believed that the Sixth army 
corps had gone also, and that, with Sheridan, it was on 
its way to join Grant's army. With this impression, 
he regarded the occasion as an auspicious one to 
make one more attack, and effectually revenge him- 
self on the army which had thrice defeated him', and 
twice sent his legions in wild confusion southward, al- 
most to the sources of the Shenandoah. In fact, the 
Sixth corps was still with the Eighth and Nineteenth 
forming the Army of the Shenandoah ; and General 
Sheridan, whom he so justly dreaded, was on his way 
back from Washington to his command, and, on the 
night of the 18th, had reached Winchester. Had Early 
known these facts, it is very questionable whether he 
would have attempted the daring enterprise in which he 
80 nearly succeeded, only to fail most signally. 

The Union position was an echelon of three lines, 
posted on three separate crests of moderate height in 
the vicinity of Cedar creek, near the point where it 
crosses the Strasburg and Virginia turnpike, a short dis- 
tance northeast of Strasburg. The Army of Western 
Virginia formed the left wing, and occupied the most 
advanced position on the eastern crest ; the Nineteenth 
corps held the centre, half a mile in rear of this ; while 



238 OTJB GREAT CAPTAIKS. 

the Sixth corps occupied the right crest, which was also 
farthest in the rear. The fronts and the flanks, to some 
extent, of the Army of Western Virginia and the Nine- 
teenth coi-ps, were protected by breastworks of logs 'and 
earth, with batteries in place, and the right was guarded 
by Torbert's cavalry. In front, the position was impreg- 
nable, except by a surprise, and to turn either flank was 
an enterprise so rash and dangerous, that it was consid- 
ered impossible by most of the officers. In Sheridan's 
absence, the command devolved on General Wright, com- 
manding the Sixth corps, as the senior corps commander. 
With a rashness which could have only been inspired 
by desperation, since at every point of his progress, ex- 
cept the last, discovery would have been inevitable ruin, 
Early resolved to attempt, by a nocturnal movement, to 
turn the left flank of the Union army. To do this, it 
was necessary to descend into the gorge at the base of 
the Massanutten mountain, cross the north fork of the 
Shenandoah, which was then fordable, and for miles to 
skirt Crook's position (the Army of Western Virginia), 
passing, at some points, within four hundred yards of his 
pickets. Three days previous a brigade of Union cav- 
alry had held the road along which the rebels now 
passed, and would liave rendered such an enterprise im- 
possible, but by some strange oversight it had been 
withdrawn. But even without this, the hazards which 
Early ran might well have been sufficient to deter a 
bold man. At almost any point of his march, had he 
been discovered (and once he was on the very verge of 
discovery), his army would have been cut in two by the 
Union infantry, and the cavalry would have prevented his 
retreat to Fisher's Hill, when he would have inevitably 
lost half his force, and the Union loss would have been 
trifling. 



GENERAL SHI KIDAN. 239 

His management of liis advance was admirable : his 
canteens liad been left behind in camp, lest tliey should 
betray the movement by tlieir clatter against the shanks 
of the bayonets, and every precaution was taken to move 
witli the utmost stillness and quiet. At dawn they were 
lying formed for battle, within six hundred yards of the 
Union camps, enveloping completely Crook's flank. Just 
at break of day, with the well-known rebel battle-yell, 
and a sudden and terrific rattle of musketry, they flung 
themselves on the camp of the Army of Western Vir- 
ginia, and within fifteen minutes that body of veteran 
troops, surprised, broken, and panic-stricken, were hurry- 
ing back, a mass of fugitives, upon the centre, where the 
Nineteenth corps, forewarned, had sprung into the 
trenches, but found themselves almost immediately at- 
tacked in flank and rear, while the rebel General Gordon 
had seized a position which completely commanded their 
camp. Early had sent his cavalry and light artillery to 
the right, to menace the Sixth corps (or, as he supposed, 
the Nineteenth); and this corps now occupied with that 
force, whose strength, at that early hour, could not be 
ascertainecl, could not come to the help of the imperilled 
Nineteenth, For an hour and more of desperate de- 
termined fighting that corps held its position ; but Gor- 
don's men reaching onward along and beyond its flank, 
turned it, and fell upon its rear, and in its turn, it was 
compelled to abandon its position, and retreat towards 
Winchester, or rather towards Middletown, on the Win- 
chester road. 

The Sixth corps had by this time found what was the 
force in its front, and had turned them over to Torbert's 
cavalry, who were amply suflicient to take care of them, 
while it came up to the support of the Nineteenth corps; 
but it, too, was flanked in its turn, and though it moved 



240 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

slowlj and in good order, was compelled to retreat to a 
position where it could fight to better advantage. The 
train had been, by skilful management, removed out of 
harm's way, and was well on the road to Winchester, but 
the army had been driven ofi" the pike, and it was neces- 
sary to fall back until it could again obtain a position 
upon it, and thus secure its communications. 

Five hours had passed since the first attack, and the 
Army of the Shenandoah was, for the first time, de- 
feated ; not routed, but badly beaten. Their camps 
were in the possession of the enemy, and their fortified 
positions; they had lost twenty-four guns and twelve 
hundred prisoners, and they had retreated full three 
miles, and their stragglers a dozen or more. It was 
about ten o'clock when Sheridan came up the pike 
at full speed, his noble horse completely flecked with 
foam, swinging his cap and shouting to the stragglers, 
" Face the other way, boys. We are going back to our 
camps. We are going to lick them out of their boots." 
The efi*ect was magical. The wounded by the roadside 
raised their voices to shout; the fugitives, but now hur- 
rying forward to Winchester, turned about at sight of 
him who had always led them to victory, and followed him 
back to the battle-ground as hounds follow their master. 

Still riding rapidly, he reached the main army, ordered 
it to face about, form line, and advance to the position 
it had last quitted. They obeyed without hesitation, 
and for two hours he rode along the lines, studying the 
ground and encouraging the men. " Boys," he said, in 
his earnest animated way, *' if I had been here this never 
should have happened. I tell you it never should have 
happened. And now we are going back to our camps. 
We are going to get a twist on them — we are going to 
lick them out of their boots !" For two hours more 



GENFRAL SHERIDAN. 241 

there was silence, but rapid preparation. The Sixth 
corps held the turnpike and its vicinity. The Nine- 
teenth was formed on its right, in double line, under 
cover of a dense wood. Rude temporary breastworks 
were thrown up in an incredibly short time, and the 
old animation and valor pervaded every heart. The 
panic was over. Then came a message from Sheridan 
to Emory (commanding the Nineteenth corps), that the 
enemy were advancing against them in column. They 
came, and were received with so deadly a fire of artil- 
lery and musketry that they awaited no second fire, but 
fell back at once out of sight, and Emory sent word to 
the commanding genei-al that the attack had been re- 
pulsed. Sheridan's delight at this was evident. "That's 
good, that's good," he said eagerly. He then sent word 
to Emory that, if they renewed the attack, he must meet 
them by a counter-attack, drive them back, and follow 
them up. At half-past three, orders came for the entire 
line to advance, the Nineteenth corps to move in connec- 
tion with the Sixth, and the right of the Nineteenth to 
swing towards the left, so as to drive the enemy upon the 
pike. The enemy's left was now his strong position, 
being supported by successive wooded crests, while his 
right ran out to the pike, across undulating open fields, 
which offered no natural line of resistance. Sheridan's 
plan was to push them off these crests by this swinging 
movement of his right, and then, as they were doubled 
up on the turnpike, hurl his cavalry upon them across the 
ISIiddletown meadows. Like most of his plans, it was en- 
tirely successful ; the crests were carried by a charge of 
infantry, and Gordon's division, which during the morn- 
ing had so persevei'ingly flanked the Army of the Shen- 
andoah, was itself flanked in turn by the Nineteenth 
corps, and broke in confusion. 

21 



242 OUR GKEAT CAPTAINS. 

The fighting whicli followed was desperate, and the 
rebels held their position with great tenacity ; while the 
'Union soldiers, who had neither eaten nor drank any 
thing since the previous day, and had been fighting since 
five in the morning, were greatly exhausted ; but they 
forgot their hunger, their thirst, and their weariness — 
forgot every thing but that they were Sheridan's sol- 
diers, and that they must drive the enemy back. Again 
they charged on the rebel second line, over stone walls, 
over steep hill-sides, and through thickets ; Sheridan him- 
self dashing along the front, cheering them with his con- 
fident smile and his assurances of success, and giving his 
orders in j^erson to brigade, division, and corps com- 
manders. The result could not be doubtful ; the second 
charge carried the enemy's second line with the same 
rush and with greater ease than the first, and the cavalry 
swept on in magnificent line and pushed the routed foe 
into more hopeless confusion and speedier flight than in 
the battle of the 19th of September. Desperate were 
the efforts of the rebel officers to rally their men and 
make another stand ; but they were utterly in vain, and 
Early's army was again " sent whirling" up the valley. 
The fighting soon swept far ahead of the tired infantry, 
who resumed their position in their old camps ; while the 
cavalry pushed Early's jaded legions on and still on 
through Strasburg, past Fisher's Hill, till they reached 
Woodstock, sixteen miles distant. The rebels aban- 
doned every thing in their flight — cannon, small- 
arms, knapsacks, great-coats, baggage-wagons, caissons, 
-ammunition-wagons, and ambulances. The twenty-four 
cannon captured from the Union troops in the morning 
were retaken, and besides them twenty-five more of 
Early's own. Besides these, there were fifty wagons, 
sixty-five ambulances, sixteen hundred small-arms, several 



GENERAL SHERIDAN. 213 

battle-flags, fifteen hundred prisoners, and two thousand 
killed and wounded left upon the field. The Union losses 
during the day had been heavy, especially in the morning, 
being in all about thirty-eight hundred, of whom eight 
hundred were prisoners. From this last and stunning 
defeat, Early's army never recovered. In all the records 
of modern history there are but three examples of such a 
battle, lost and won on the same field, and in the same 
conflict — Marengo, Shiloh, and Stone river; and in the 
two former the retrieval was due mainly to reinfoi'ce- 
ments brought up at the critical time, while the third 
was not so immediately decisive ; but here, as is well 
remarked by Captain De Forest (to whose graphic and 
eloquent description of the battle in " Harper's Magazine" 
we acknowledge our indebtedness), " the only reinforce- 
ment which the Army of the Shenandoah received or 
needed to recover its lost field of battle, camps, intrench- 
ments, and cannon was one man — Sheridan." 

Lieutenant-General Grant's opinion of this remarkable 
battle may be gathered from the dispatch sent by him to 
Secretary Stanton, on the evening of the 20th of October. 
It was as follows : 

Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War : 

I had a salute of one hundred guns fired from each of 
the armies here, in honor of Sheridan's last victory. 
Turning what bid fair to be a disaster into a glorious 
victory, stamps Sheridan , what I have always thought 
him, o?ie of the ablest of generals. 

U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General. 

General Sheridan also received an autograph letter of 
thanks from the President, and on the 14th of Novem- 
ber a general order, announcing General McClellan's 



244 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

resignation as major-general in the regular army, ap- 
pointed General Sheridan to the same rank, to fill the 
vacancy, to date from the 8th of November, as an ac- 
knowledgment of his ability and generalship in the cam- 
paign in the valley of the Shenandoah, and especially in 
the battle of the 19th of October. 

For six weeks after this battle there were occasional 
skirmishes of greater of less severity, between Torbert's 
cavalry or some portions of it, and the rebel cavalry offi- 
cers Rosser and Loraax ; but Early, though moving un- 
easily up and down the valley from Mount Jackson or 
New Market to Fisher's Hill, carefully avoided anything 
like a general engagement, and in December sent a part 
of his forces to strengthen General Lee. Meantime the 
guerrilla warfare continued with all its vexatious annoy- 
ances and stealthy murders, and General Sheridan found 
it necessary to desolate the valley of the Blue Ridge by 
his cavalry, as he had done the valleys west of it. In 
two expeditions undertaken for this purpose, property to 
the amount of nearly seven and a half millions of dollars 
was either captured or destroyed ; vast herds of cattle, 
sheep, and swine, and large numbers of horses and mules 
brought in. Driven from the region, the guerrilla bands 
have since concentrated near the upper Potomac, and at 
Piedmont, New Creek, and other points, have done 
some mischief;, but their power has been greatly crippled 
by the stern and thorough measures adopted by General 
Sheridan. In December the Sixth corps was returned to 
the Army of the Potomac; and the Army of the Shen- 
andoah for nearly two months acted principally as an 
army of observation. About the first of March, General 
Sheridan moved with his magnificent cavalry force up 
the valley towards Staunton ; and after the capture of 
that town moved forward to Fisherville and Waynes- 



GENEKAL SHEKIDAN. 245 

boro, and near the latter place attacked and defeated 
Early, capturing twelve hundred and fifty-two prisoners 
(including eighty-seven officers), five cannon, on.e hun- 
dred wagons, over one hundred horses and mules, &c., 
&c. Early himself escaped with difficulty, some of iiis 
staft-officers and his personal baggage being captured. 
Me was pursued as far as Greenwood Station, where 
more cannon, and ordnance, and commissary supplies 
were captured. Sheridan next entered Charlottesville, 
where he remained two days bringing up his trains, and 
dispatched from thence his First division to destroy the 
James River canal, at Scottsville, and thence to Du- 
guidsville, fifteen miles below, which they accomplished. 
The Third division were sent at the same time to burn 
the bridges and tear up the railroad track on the Lynch- 
burg railroad. He himself moved to Columbia on the 
James river, destroying the canal and its locks all the 
way ; and turning thence to the Virginia Central railroad, 
broke up its track thoroughly for fifteen miles, and de- 
stroyed all bridges over the James and its tributaries. 
On the 18th he reached the north bank of the Paraunkey 
near Yv hite House, where he remained for a short time 
with his troops. He desolated the country through 
which he passed completely, and destroyed property 
which the rebels themselves estimated at fifty millions oi 
dollars. The destruction of the James River canal and 
the Lynchburg railroad were terrible blows to Lee's 
army at Richmond, as by far the greater part of their 
supplies were brought in by these routes. 
' On the 25th of March, Sheridan's army moved from 
White House across the James river, at Wilcox's land- 
ing, reaching their destination at night. After two days 
spent in recruiting and preparing for another campaign, 
Greneral Sheridan was ordered to move, on the 29th, 
21* 



246 OUR GKEAT CAPTAINS. 

with his cavalr^^, via Reams' Station, to Dinwiddie 
Court-house, and from thence either strike at Burkesville 
Junction, or, if it sliould seem best, support the infantry, 
one or two corps of which would in that case be put un- 
der his command — the Fifth corps down the Hahfax 
road, and the Second down the Yaughan road, to cross 
Hatcher's Run at the point which had been held since 
tlie movement in February. The Sixth and Ninth corps 
were moved westward to connect with the new line thus 
to be formed, and parties of the Twenty-fourth and 
Twenty-fifth corps were brought from the Army of 
the James to aid in strengthening the hues. It 
was deemed best by Lieutenant-General Grant that 
Sheridan should, under the circumstances, support di- 
rectly the infantry attack ; and accordingly, on Thurs- 
day, March 30, he connected his right, near Dinwiddie, 
with the left of the Fifth corps, on the Boydton road. 
The enemy was found to be strongly intrenched at Five 
Forks, an important position about six miles west of the 
crossing of the Boydton plank-road, over Hatcher's Run. 
They also held in some force the White Oak road, 
by which the Five Forks were approached from the 
east. 

On the 31st of March, the Fifth corps, or rather Craw- 
ford's and Ayres' divisions of it, attempting to advance 
on this road, were driven back in disorder by the sudden 
and overwhelming attack of the rebels, and did not rally 
till they reached Griffin's division of that corps on the 
Boydton road. Here, Miles' division of the Second 
corps having attacked the enemy in flank, drove them 
back ; and the Fifth corps. Griffin leading, having ral- 
lied, advanced, and at sunset occupied nearly the same 
position as in the morning. 

But this retreat had opened the way for the rebels to 



GKNEJRAL 8HEKTDAN. 



247 



tlirow themselves with great fury upon Slieridan's caval- 
ry, lying west of Dinwiddle ; and at one time they had 
nearly cut off Merritt's command, and imperilled the 
entire cavalry force. General Sheridan, commanding 
in person, succeeded in checking the enemy's advance; 
and, having dismounted his cavalry in front of Dinwiddle 
Court-house, he fought a desperate battle with them, 
lasting till late in the evening ; and the enemy, unable to 
drive his troops, whom they greatly outnumbered, finally 
lay down sullenly upon their arms, apparently determined 
to fight it out the next day. 




Lieutenant-General Grant had ordered General War- 
ren, commanding the Fifth corps, to report to General 
Sheridan ; and on the evening of this battle sent a dis- 
patch to Sheridan, saying that Warren would report to 
him about midnight. As he did not appear, General 



248 OUK GREAT CAPTAINS. 

Sheridan, at 3 a.m., April 1st, sent a messenger with a 
note asking him to attack the enemy in rear at daylight, 
and he would attack tliem in front. He believed th.it 
by this means they might capture the whole force in his 
front. General Warren did not make his appearance ; 
but General Sheridan attacking boldly, the rebels were 
driven in confusion across Chamberlain's Run, and Siiei- 
idan pursued, determined to carry their stronghold. 
About 8 A.M. he met Wai-ren's advance near J. Bois- 
seau's house, four or five miles north of Dinwiddie, and 
directed them to hold fast in their position, and be ready 
to move to the front when required. He himself passed 
on with his cavalry, and surrounded the rebel intrench- 
ments on the souih, southwest, and west ; and m the 
afternoon ordered up the Fifth corps to attack from the 
east. They moved very slowly, and it seemed to Gen- 
eral Sheridan that General Warren was not desirous of 
bringing them into the fight ; and when at last they were 
formed, that he did not seek to inspii'e his men with con- 
fidence in their ability to succeed. The movement was, 
nevertheless, successful, the rebels being driven irom 
their strong position, routed, their left fiank doubled up 
in confusion by the attack of the Fifth corps ; while Mer- 
ritt's cavali-y, dashing on to the White Oak road, cap- 
turing their artillery and turning it upon them, and rid- 
ins: into their broken ranks, so demoralized them that 
they made no serious stand after their line was broken, 
and Sheridan captured between 5,000 and 6,000 prison- 
ers. At the close of the day's fighting, General Sheridan 
relieved General Warren of command, and put General 
Griffin in command of the corps. 

Having disposed his foi-ces so as to hold the White 
Oak road, General Sheridan, on the morning of April 
2d, ordered Miles' division of the Second corps, which 



GENERAL SHERIDAN. 249 

had also been directed to report to him, to move up the 
White Oak road towards Petersburg, and attack the 
enemy at the intersection of that with the Claiborne 
road, where they were massed in considerable force, and 
he himself followed with two divisions of the Fifth corps. 
Miles was successful, and drove the enemy towards 
Sutherland's Depot, and was about to attack him there, 
when, at General Meade's instance. General Humphreys, 
of the Second corps, again assumed command of Miles' 
division. General Sheridan then, taking his two divi- 
sions of the Fifth corps, returned to Five Forks, and 
marched out the Ford road towards Hatcher's Run, 
with a view to cut off the enemy's retreat, the cavalry 
having been already dispatched to cross Hatcher's Run, 
and break up the rebel cavalry. 

This movement proved successful. The Fifth corps 
reached the Southside Railroad at Ford's Depot, and 
marched rapidly eastward towards Sutherland's, in 
flank and rear of the enemy, who confronted Miles. 
Finding themselves thus attacked, the rebels fled north- 
ward, and escaped along the main road by the Appomat- 
tox River, pursued by Sheridan's troops, who succeeded 
in engaging them slightly about dusk. 

During that night Petersburg and Richmond were 
evacuated, and the next morning the pursuit of the 
retreating rebels was taken up in earnest by both cavalry 
and infantry. At Deep Creek they made a stand, and a 
severe fight took place, ending in the rout of the rebels 
and the capture of large numbers of prisoners, five pieces 
of artillery, and many wagons. 

Encamping on the night of the 3d at Deep Creek, 
General Sheridan pressed forward in pursuit to Jeters- 
ville, having sent his division of cavalry to strike the 
Danville Railroad, between Burkesville and Jetersville. 



250 OUE GREAT CAPTAINS. 

Here he ascertained that Lee, with his entire army, was 
at Ameha Court-house, and ordered the Fifth corps at 
once to intrench till the main army could come up. 

On the morning of the 5th of April, Davies' cavalry 
brigade, making a reconnoissance, captured a train of 
180 wagons, with five pieces of artillery and a large 
number of prisoners. Some heavy fighting ensued, but 
the rebels were finally repulsed. 

The Second corps having come up, and the Fifth corps 
being returned to General Meade's command, at his re- 
quest. General Sheridan, on the morning of the 6th of 
April, sent his cavalry towards Deatonsville to ascertain 
Lee's exact position, and attack him if he was attempt- 
ing to escape. The cavalry officer found Lee attempting 
to escape by way of Farmville, and attacked at once, 
capturing sixteen pieces of artillery, 400 wagons, and a 
large number of prisoners, and cutting off three divisions 
of the enemy's infantry from their line of retreat. The 
infantry (the Sixth corps were coming up with orders to 
report to Sheridan) could not reach the ground in sea- 
son, and the rebels fought with the energy of despair. 
Two divisions of the Sixth corps (Wheaton's and Sey- 
mour's) finally reached the ground, and with a part of 
the Second corps soon began to drive the enemy, who 
had previously broken a part of the line of the cavalry. 
They were driven as far as Sailor's Creek. 

On the morning of the Yth, the cavalry pressed on to 
Farmville, and there again encountered the enemy, who 
fought desperately, and being driven over the Appomat- 
tox, made a stand there, and fought again, but without 
decisive result. On the morning of the 8th, Genera) 
Sheridan ascertained that a large railroad train, laden 
with supplies for the rebels, was at Appomattox Station, 
and that General Lee was hastening thither with hiij 



GENERAL SHEKIDAN. 251 

troops, in the hope of obtainmg the means of reaching 
Lynchburg. By making a forced mai-ch with his cavaf- 
ry, he succeeded in reaching Appomattox, and capturing 
iuid sending eastward the train just as the rebel ai-my 
came up; and then dashing upon the famished rebel sol- 
diers, drove them back to Appomattox Court-liouse, cap- 
turing many prisoners, twenty-five pieces of artillery, a 
hospital-train, and a park of wagons. He then notified 
the lieutenant-general that the enemy had reached the 
last ditch, and urged that the infantry should be brought 
up with all speed. The next morning Lee surrendered 
his army. 

After the surrender, Sheridan returned with his caval- 
ry to Richmond and Washington, and was ordered at 
once to Texas with a large force, to bring the rebel Gen- 
eral E. Kirby Smith to terms. Smith surrendered, 
however, about the time of his arrival ; and on the 27th 
of June, 1865, General Sheridan was appointed com- 
mander of the military division of the Gulf, embracing 
the departments of Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and 
Texas. 

Li person, Major-General Sheridan is small, about five 
feet five inches in height, of dark complexion and hair, 
with a piercing blue eye, and an energetic, determined 
face. In private life he is social and genial, with a ready 
command of language. His manner is fascinating, and 
wins for him at once the love and confidence of his sub- 
ordinates. He is, with all his dashing qualities, calm, 
cool, cautious, fertile in resources, careful of his men, 
and thoroughly self-possessed at all times. No officer in 
the army can rouse his troops to so high a pitch of en- 
thusiasm, or hold them there so firmly, as " Little Phil 
Sheridan." 



V. 

Vice-Admiral David Glascoe Farragut. 

Heroes have not been wanting in the history of mar- 
itime warfare, at any time in these last three hundred 
years. Holland points, with pride, to her gallant De 
Ruyter and Van Trorap, ^vho made the little republic 
among the marshes and canals that yield tribute to the 
Zuyder Zee, famous the world over. England glories in 
her Blake, her Collingwood, and most of all, in her Nel- 
son, the model naval hero of all her history ; and we 
cannot suppress our admiration of the daring of the 
reckless John Paul Jones, the matchless patriotism of 
Lawrence, and the gallant bearing and extraordinai-y su(;- 
cess of Perry, Bainbridge, Decatur, and the elder Purtei-, 
while in the present war the heroic Foote, Dupont, 
Winslow^, D. D. Porter, and Rogers have covered their 
names with glory. 

But among all these illustrious names there is none 
which so thoroughly awakens our enthusiasm, or so 
readily calls forth our applause, as that of our illustrious 
Vice-Admiral. With all of Nelson's courage and dar- 
ing, he has more than his executive ability and fertility of 
resource, a wider, and more generous intellectual culture, 
and a more unblemished, ndive^ frank, and gentle char- 
acter. 

He bears in his veins some traces of the best blood of 

Spain, his father, George Farragut, having been a native 

of Citadella, the capital of the island of Minorca, and a 

descendant of an ancient and honorable Catalonian fam- 

33 



254 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

ily. The father came to tliis country in 1*776, and united 
most heartily in our struggle for independence, attaining 
during the war the rank of major. After the conclusion 
of the war, Major Farragut married Miss Elizabeth 
Shine, of North Carolina, a descendant of the old Scotch 
family of Mclven, and settled as a farmer at Campbell's 
station, near Knoxville, Tennessee. Here, on the 5th ot 
July, 1801, his illustrious son was born. The father 
seems to have been not altogether contented with a 
farmer's hfe in that mountainous region, for not long 
after, we hear of him as a sailing-master in the navy, 
and an intimate friend of the father of Commodore 
David D. Porter, wko then held a similar rank. Young 
Farragut inherited his father's love for the sea, and 
though brought up so far inland, among the Cumberland 
Mountains, he had hardly reached the age of nine and 
a half years, when the longing for a sailor's life possessed 
him so strongly, that his father consented ; and after 
some little delay, a midshipman's warrant was procured 
for him. 

His first cruise was under the command of Captain 
(then master-commandant) Porter, who, in July, 1812, 
was promoted to the rank of captain, and soon after 
sailed in the Essex for the South American coast and the 
Pacific. To this famous frigate the young midshipman 
was ordered, before lier departure, and he remained on 
her through the eventful two years that followed, when 
she drove the British commerce out of the Pacific. When, 
on the 28th of March, 1814, the British frigate Phoebe, 
36 guns, and sloop-of-war Cherub, 28 guns, without scru- 
ple attacked the Essex in the harbor of Valparaiso, in 
violation of the rights of a neutral nation (a precedent 
which the British government seem to have forgotten of 
late), there ensued one of the fiercest naval battles on 



VICE-ADMIEAL FARRAGUT. 



9n_^ 



record. Though fighting against hopeless odds, the two 
British vessels having twice the number of guns and men 
of the Essex, Commodore Porter, with the reckless dar- 
ing which was so marked a trait of his character, refused 
to strike his colors till his ship had been three or four 
times on fire, and was in a sinking condition, with her 
rigging shot away, the flames threatening her magazine, 
and 152, out of her crew of 255, killed, wounded, or 
missing. The battle had lasted two and a half hours. 
On his surrender, the Essex Junior, a whaling-ship which 
he had converted into a sloop-of-war, but which had been 
unable to take any part in the battle, was sent home witli 
the prisoners on parole. The young midshipman, then 
a boy under thirteen, was in the hottest of the fight, and 
was slightly wounded during the action. Before the loss 
of the Essex, he had served as acting-lieutenant on board 
the Atlantic, an armed prize. 

On his return to the United States, Commodore Por- 
ter placed him at school at Chester, Pa., where he was 
taught, among other studies, the elements of military 
and naval tactics; but in 1816 he was again afloat and 
on board the flag-ship of the Mediterranean squadron, 
w'^here he had the good fortune to meet, in the chaplain. 
Rev. Charles Folsom, an instructor to whom he became 
ardently attached, and to whose teachings he attributes 
much of his subsequent usefulness and success. Mr. Fol- 
spm was appointed consul at Tunis, not long after, and 
thither young Farragut accompanied him. In a letter 
recently published, Mr. Folsom speaks thus of his inter- 
course with the young hero : . . . " All needed control 
was that of an elder over an affectionate younger brother. 
He was now introduced to entirely new scenes, and had 
social advantages which compensated for his former too 
exclusive sea-life. He had found a home on shore, and 



256 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

every type of European civilization and manners in the 
families of tlie consuls of different nations. In all of 
them my young countryman was the delight of old and 
young. This had always been among his chief moral 
dangers ; but here he learned to be proof against petting 
and flattery. Here, too, he settled his definition of true 
glory — glory, the idol of his profession — if not in the 
exact words of Cicero, at least in his own clear thought. 
Our familiar walks and rides were so many lessons in 
ancient history, and the lover of historic parallels will be 
gratified to know that we possibly sohietimes stood on 
the very spot where the boy Hannibal took the oath that 
consecrated him to the defence of his country." 

This pleasant period of instruction passed all too quick- 
ly, and the boy, now grown to man's estate, after some 
further service in the Mediterranean, was, on the 1st of 
January, 1821, at the age of nineteen and a half years, 
promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and ordered to duty 
on the West India station. In 1824 he was assigned to 
duty at the Norfolk navy-yard ; and with the exception 
of a two years' cruise in the Vandalia, on the Brazil sta- 
tion, remained at Norfolk till 1833. Here he married fi 
lady of highly respectable family, and during the long- 
years of suflfering through which she was called to pass, 
from a hopeless physical malady, he proved one of the 
most tender and affectionate of husbands, never weary- 
ing of administering all the relief and comfort to the suf- 
ferer in his power. When death at last terminated her 
protracted distress, he mourned her tenderly and long. 
He subsequently married another lady of Norfolk, Miss 
Virginia Loyall, the daughter of one of the most eminent 
citizens of that city. The issue of this marriage is a son, 
now a cadet at West Point, who bears the honorable 
name of Loyall Fareagut. That he may do honor to 



VICE-ADMIRAL FAKRAGUT. 



257 



sucli a name and attain in another field to a reputatiou 
as untarnislied and a distinction as lofty as his father's, 
must be tlie wish of all who know either sire or sou. ^ 

In 1833, Lieutenant Farragut was made executive 
officer (lieutenant-commander) of the sloop of war Nat- 
chez and again ordered to the Brazilian coast, and in 
1838 transferred to the West India or home squadron. 
In 1841 he was commissioned as commander, and ordered 
to the sloop-of-war Decatur, on the Brazil squadron. In 
1842 he received three years' leave of absence, and at its 
expiration was again ordered to the Norfolk navy-yard, 
where he remained till 1847, when he took command of 
the sloop-of-war Saratoga, oi' the home squadron. In 
1850 he was again assigned to duty at Norfolk, where 
in 1851 he was appointed assistant inspector of ordnance. 
After serving in this capacity for three years he was sent 
to California, in 1854, as commander of the 3Iare Island 
navy-yard. In 1855 he was commissioned captain ; and 
from 'l858 to Mav, I860, he was in command of the 
steam sloop-of-war Brooklyn, in the home squadron. 
During all these years of service, Captain Farragut had^ 
been a^'diligent student, ever seeking the opportunity oi 
increasino- his professional and general knowledge. While 
inferior to no officer of the navy in his acquaintance with 
every thing appertaining to naval science or warfare, he 
is superior to most of them in the wide range of his gen- 
eral culture, especially in the languages. He speaks 
with fluency and correctness most of the languages of 
Europe, as well as Turkish and Arabic. 

In 1860 he had spent nearly nineteen years afloat,— 
eighteen vears and four months on shore duty, and ten 
years and' ten months either waiting orders or on leave 
of absence. Forty-eight of his fifty-eight years had been 
spent in the naval service. 



'2')S 0[JR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

Ill April, 1861, came the rebellion. Captain Farragut 
was at bis home in Norfolk, surrounded by those who 
were sympathizers with the rebellion, and who were 
already maturing plans for the seizure of the government 
property, and its conversion to rebel uses. No more 
loyal heart ever beat than his, and in frank and manly 
terms he denounced the whole proceedings of the trai- 
tors, and gave expression to his abhorrence of them. 
This roused all the demoniac hatred of the plotters of 
treason, and they told him at once, in tones of menace, 
that he could not be permitted to live there, if he held 
such sentiments. "Very well," was his prompt reply, 
" then I will go where I can live and hold such senti- 
ments." Returning to his home, he informed his family 
that they must leave Norfolk for New York in a few 
hours. They immediately made their preparations, and 
the next morning, April 18, 1861, bid adieu to Norfolk. 
Arriving at Baltimore, he found the mob in possession of 
the city, and with difficulty secured a passage by steamer 
and canal-boat to Columbia, Pennsylvania, from which 
point he reached New York with his family by railway. 
Securing a residence for his family at Hastings, on the 
Hudson, he repaired at once to Washington and asked 
to be employed in the service of his country. But 
though fully appreciating his loyalty and ability, the 
government had no ship for him to command. The 
treachery of the former Secretary of the Navy had sent 
most of our ships to distant foreign ports, and of the 
very few that were left, the best had been seized or de- 
stroyed at Norfolk, and the remainder, to which they 
were making additions as rapidly as possible, were in 
command of his seniors in the service. The Navy De- 
partment were, however, anxious to give him employ- 
ment, and in default of any thing else he served for a 



VICE-ADMIRAL FAKRAGUT. 



259 



time as a member of the Naval Retiring Board, which 
shelved the incompetent officers of the navy, and pro- 
moted the active, loyal, and deserving. 

Meantime, the government had resolved on the cap- 
ture of New Orleans, and entered with zeal upon the 
work of fitting out a squadron, as well as an army for its 
reduction. The squadron was to consist of a fleet oi 
armed steamers, and twenty bomb-schooners, each carry- 
ins; gigantic mortars, throwing fifteen-inch shells. 

The bomb-fleet was to be under the command of 
Commander David D. Porter, but he was to report to 
Flao-Officer Farragut, who was to have charge of the 
entiT-e squadron. Selecting the Hartford as his flag-ship, 
and having- made all possible preparations for his expedi- 
tion, Flag^-Officer Farragut received his orders on the 
20th of January, 1862, and on the 3d of February sailed 
from Hampton Roads. Arriving at Ship Island on the 
20th of February, he organized the West Gulf Blockadmg 
Squadron, and in spite of difficulties of all sorts,-the de- 
lay in forwarding coal, naval stores, hospital stores, am- 
munition, etc., the labor of getting vessels drawing 
twenty-two feet over the bars at Pass L'Outre and South- 
west Pass, where the depth was but twelve and fifteen 
feet, the ignorance and stupidity of some of the officers, 
and every other obstacle he had to encounter,— made 
steady progress. The difficulties were not all sur- 
mounted until the 18th of April, when the bombard- 
ment of Fort Jackson, the lowermost of the two lorts 
defending the passage of the Mississippi, was com- 
menced. These forts were seventy-five miles below 
New Orleans and possessed great strength. A continu- 
ous bombardment was maintained for six days, by which 
the forts were considerably damaged, but they still held 
out stoutly. A heavy iron chain had been stretched 



2o0 OUR GREAT CAPTAmS. 

across the river, supported by large logs, to obstruct the 
passage of vessels, and was placed at a point where tho 
fire of the two forts could be most eifectively concen- 
trated. Above this chain lay the rebel fleet of sixteen 
gunboats and two iron-clad rams. Along the banks of 
the river were land batteries, mounting several guns 
each. 

Finding that the forts were not likely to yield to the 
bombardment, Flag-Officer Farragut called a council of 
war, and after hearing their opinions, which were some- 
what discordant, issued his general order of April 20th, 
in which the spirit of the hero gleams out. This was his 
language : " The flag-officer having heard all the opinions 
expressed by the diflerent commanders, is of the opinion 
that ichatever is to be done loill have to be done quickly. 
When, in tlie opinion of the flag-officer, tlie propitious 
time has arrived, the signal will be made to weigh, and 

advance to the conflict He will make the signal 

for close action, and abide the result — conquer^ or be con- 
queredP 

After fui'ther and severe bombardment of the forts, 
the flag officer gave notice to the steam-vessels of the 
squadron, of his determination to break the chain and 
run past the forts, engage tlie rebel fleet, and having de- 
feated it, ascend the river to New Orleans, and capture 
that city. It was a most daring movement. The vessels 
of the squadron would be exposed to the concentrated 
fire of the forts until the chain was broken and they 
were all past it ; and then they would encounter a fleet 
nearly equal to their own in numbers, and two of its 
vessels iron-clads, — at that time an unknown power in 
naval warfare. To rush on such dangers as these seemed 
rash, reckless, almost foolhardy. But the flag-officer had 
weighed well his chances, and believing that cool courage 



VICE-ADMIRAL FATIRAGUT. 261 

/ 

and prompt action were the principal rcqnisites for suc- 
cess, and that the prize to be won justified the risk, he 
gave the order to stait at 2 a. m., April 24th, and mean- 
time visited each ship, and personally superintended the 
adoption of the requisite measures for the preservation 
of life and of the vessels, and gave his instructions to the 
officers as to the mode of the attack. The different 
plans adopted for protecting the ships and machinery 
from injury were ingenious and proved effective. 

The sheet-cables were stopped up and down on the 
sides in the line of the engines, thus extemporizing an 
iron plating over this most vulnerable portion ; and ham- 
mocks, coal, bags of ashes, bags of sand, &c., w^ere placed 
in such a way as to protect the engines from shots coming 
in forward or abaft. The bulwarks were lined either with 
hammocks or splinter nettings. Some of the vessels 
coated their sides with mud, to make them less visible, 
and some whitewashed their decks, that objects might 
be more visible by night. The signal was made at five 
minutes before two, a. m., but, some of the vessels having 
trouble in weighing anchor, the fleet did not get under 
way till half past three, A. M. The chain had previously 
been broken, and the mortar-vessels moved up and an- 
chored ready to pour in their fire as soon as the forts 
should open. The steam-fleet moved up in two columns, 
one led by Flag-Ofiicer Farragut in person, in the Hart- 
ford, the other by Captain Theodorus Bailey, as second 
in command, in the Cayuga. The left column (Farra- 
gut's) was composed of the Hartford, Brooklyn, Rich- 
mond, Sciota, Iroquois, Kennebec, Pinola, Itasca, and 
Winona; the right (Bailey's) of the Cayuga, Pensacola, 
Mississippi, Oneida, Varuna, Katahdin, Kineo, and Wis- 
sahickon. The right column was to engage Fort St. 
Philip ; the left, Fort Jackson. The fleet were fairly 



262 OUE GREAT CAPTAINS. 

abreast of the forts before they were discovered, and 
fire opened upon them ; but from that moment the firing 
was terrible, and the smoke, setthng down like a pall 
upon the river, produced intense darkness, and the ships 
could only aim at the flash from the forts, the foils at the 
flash from the ships. A fire-raft, pushed by the ram 
Manassas against the flag-ship (the Hartford) set it on 
fire, and at the same instant it ran aground ; but by the 
prompt and disciplined exertions of the men it was ex- 
tinguished in a few minutes and got afloat, never ceasing 
for a moment its fire upon the enemy. At times the gun- 
boats passed so near the forts as to be able to throw their 
broadsides of shrapnel, grape, and canister with most 
destructive force into their interior ; and the forts, in the 
endeavor to depress their guns sufliciently to strike the 
vessels, lost their shot, which rolled into the ditches. 
They were nearly past the forts when the rebel fleet 
came down upon them, the iron-clad ram Manassas 
among them. Several of these gunboats were iron- 
clad about the bow, and had iron beaks or spurs. The 
Cayuga, Captain Bailey's flagship, was the first to en- 
counter these; and soon after the Yaruna, commanded by 
Captain Boggs, found itself in a nest of rebel steamers, 
and moved forward delivering its broadsides, port and 
starboard, with fearful precision, into its antagonists, 
four of which were speedily disabled and sunk by its 
fire. The Varuna was finally attacked by the Morgan 
and another rebel gunboat, both iron -clad at the bow, 
which crushed in her sides ; but, crowding her steam, she 
• drew them on, while still fast, and poured broadsides 
into both, which drove them ashore crippled and in flames. 
Running his own steamer on shore as speedily as poS' 
sible, the gallant Boggs fought her as long as his 
guns were out of water, and then brought off* his 



VICE-ADMIRAL FARRAGUT. 263 

men, who were taken on board the Oneida and otliei 
gunboats of the fleet. Several of the gunboats were 
considerably injured, but none of thera lost except the 
Yaruna. The Itasca, Winona, and Kennebec were dis- 
abled, and obliged to fall back. Thirteen of the seven- 
teen vessels composing Flag-Officer Farragut's squadron 
were able to pass in safety these forts, and had defeated 
a rebel fleet, destroying thirteen of their gunboats and 
rams, and the iron-clad Manassas, and compelling the re- 
mainder to shelter themselves under the guns of the forts. 
The entire loss of the Union squadron Avas but thirty-six 
killed, and one hundred and thirty-five wounded. 

The gallant flag-officer now ascended the river, en- 
countenng slight opposition from the Chalmette bat- 
teries, about three miles below New Orleans ; but they 
were silenced in twenty minutes, and at noon of the 25th 
of April he lay in front of the city, and demanded its 
surrender. Four days later the forts were surrendered to 
Captain Porter, and General Butler came up the river 
to arrange for landing his troops, and taking possession 
of the conquered city. Meantime, Farragut had as- 
cended the river above the city to Carrolton, where had 
been erected some strong works to oppose the progress 
of Flag-Officer Foote, should he descend the river. 
These, on the approach of the gunboats, were abandoned, 
and their guns spiked. They were destroyed. 

New Orleans being safely in the possession of the 
Union forces, Flag-Officer Farragut ascended the Missis- 
sippi, and, on the 27th of June, ran his vessels safely 
past the rebel batteries at Vicksburg, and communicated 
with Flag-Officer Davis, then commanding the Missis- 
sippi Squadron, and arranged for a joint attack upon 
Vicksburg. The attack failed, because the bluffs at 
Vicksburg were too high to be effectively bombarded 



264 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

by tlie gniiboats, and the capture of the city required 
the co-operation of a land force. He therefore repassed 
the batteries in safety on the loth of July, and, descend- 
ing the river, made Pensacola the "headquarters of his 
squadron. On the 11th of July, the rank of rear-adniira' 
having been created in accordance with the recommen- 
dation of a committee of Congress, Captain Farragut 
was advanced to that rank, and placed first on the list 
for his meritorious conduct in the capture of New Or- 
leans. He also received the thanks of both houses of 
Congress. In the autumn of 1862, he directed the naval 
attacks on Corpus Christi, Sabine Pass, and Galveston, 
which resulted in the capture of those points. In his 
duties, as the commander of a blockading and guarding 
squadron, there was much of detail ; attacks of guerillas 
along the river shores, to be parried and punished ; sur- 
prises of the weaker vessels of the squadron, to be chas- 
tised and revenged ; expeditions against rebel towns on 
or near the coast, to be aided and sustained; and careful 
lookout to be kept for blockade-runners, who sought 
their opportunity to slip into the ports of Mobile, Gal- 
veston, and Aransas. These occupied much of his time 
during the autumn and winter of 1862-3. 

Early in March, 1863, General Grant, who was then 
engaged in his campaign against Vicksburg, desired that 
Rear- Admiral Farragut sliould force his way up the 
Mississippi with some of his most formidable steamships, 
and assault Vicksburg from below, believing that such 
an assault would aid materially in its reduction. He 
proposed also that a co-operating force from Rear- 
Admiral Porter's squadron should run past the batteries 
of Vicksburg and aid in this attack, and be prepared also 
to assail and carry some of the river batteries below, 
when he should have sent his troops down the west 



VICE-ADMIRAL FARRAGUT. 265 

side of the Mississippi, as he had already determined 
to do. 

The hero of New Orleans promptly responded to Gen- 
eral Grant's wish. He selected for the work eight of his 
\essels, the Hartford, his flag-ship, the Richmond, a sis- 
ter ship in size and armament, the Mississippi, a first 
class steamship, the Monongahela, rated as second-class, 
and with a lighter armament, and the gunboats Kineo, 
Albatross, and Genesee. Besides these, there were six 
mortar-boats, which were to take part in the bombard- 
ment, but not to run past the batteries. The gunboats 
were strengthened, and prepared to resist the terrible 
ordeal of fire they would have to encounter in passing 
the batteries of Port Hudson, two hundred and thirty- 
two miles below Vicksburg, the most formidable line of 
fortifications on the river except those of Vicksburg. On 
the morning of the 14th of March, the squadron an- 
chored near Prophet's Island, and at half past one o'clock, 
p. M., the mortar-boats commenced bombarding the 
lower batteries, while a small land-force, sent to the rear 
of tlie town to distract the attention of the garrison, on 
attaining their position, opened fire. The steamships 
meantime awaited nightfall for their movements ; and, at 
half-past nine p. m., with lights out, and their decks 
whitewashed, to enable the men to see their shot and 
shell which were piled upon the decks, they moved 
quietly up the river, lashed together, two and two, and 
hugging the eastern bank. Dark as was the night, their 
movements were watched, and signalled by the rebel 
scouts, and an immense bonfire was instantly kindled, 
which threw its lurid flames upon the river, in front of 
the most powerful of the rebel batteries, and would re- 
veal at once the form and position of any vessel which 
might attempt to pass. The situation was evidently be- 

23 



2GG OUR GREAT CAPTAIXS. 

coming more desperate every moment; but the stout 
heart of llie admiral did not quail for an instant, and his 
squadron moved on swiftly towards the ihumined point, 
while as yet no gun had been fired. Suddenly a rebel 
fieldpiece, concealed in the foliage along the shore, 
opened tire upon the Hartford, and a broadside was re- 
turned. Then opened upon tlie stately vessel and her 
consort a storm of tire wliich seemed sufficient to anni- 
hilate both. The rebel batteries, extending a distance 
of nearly four miles, and rising tier above tier on the 
lofty bluffs, showei-ed their ii-on hail upon the doomed 
vessels and the mortar-boats frotn below, and the vessels 
of the squadron sent back their replies in tones of thun- 
der. To add to their difficulties, the smoke here, as at 
the forts below New Orleans, settled murky and thick 
upon the river, and bewildered the pilots and gurmers. 
The rebels, from their stationary batteries, could tire with 
more chance of success, but the gunboats were more 
than once in imminent danger of firing into each other. 
As yet, however, no one of the vessels had been dis- 
abled ; but as they neared the line of light, at a point 
where the Mississi|)pi river curves and the channel runs 
close to the eastern bank, thus bringing the vessels al- 
most muzzle to muzzle with the water batteries which 
lined the river-bank, the contest grew still more furious. 
The Hartford and Albatross, which were lashed toge- 
ther, succeeded in passing the batteries without serious 
hijury; the Richmond, with the Genesee attached to her, 
had passed most of the principal battei-ies, though Vvith 
heavy loss of gallant officers, when a shot penetrated her 
steam-chest and disabled her, and with her consoi't she 
dropped down to Prophet's Island. The Monongahcla 
and Kineo came next, but the former grounded, and for 
twenty-five minutes was exposed to the steady fire of 



VICE-ADMIMAL FARllAGUT. 'JO i 

the principal rebel batteries, and was badly cut up ; but 
finally floating, through the exertions of her consort she 
again attempted the passage, but was disabled and obliged 
to drop down the river. The Mississippi and Sachem 
came last, and had reached the point directly opposite 
the town without any serious injury, when the Mississippi 
grounded hard and fast on the west bank of the river, 
where she was exposed to the concentrated fire of the 
entire rebel batteries. Captain Smith, her commander, 
while every effort was making to get her off, ordered his 
gunners to keep up as I'apid a fire as possible. In the 
next thirty-five minutes they fired two hundred and fifty 
shots. At the end of that time it became evident that 
she could not be saved ; and providing promptly for the 
preservation of his crew and his wounded men, Captain 
Smith spiked the guns himself, and laid the combustibles 
so as to burn the ship. He had just fired the combus- 
tibles forward, and left the ship, when two rebel shells 
striking her amidships set on fire some barrels of turpen- 
tine, and in an instant she was enveloped in flame. 
Lightened by the combustion and the removal of three 
hundred men, she now floated ; and turning round, the 
guns of her port battery, which had not been discharged, 
now reached by the fire, poui'ed a final and terrible 
broadside into the rebel town. Drifting on, a mass of 
flame, she passed behind Prophet's Island ; and her mag- 
azine exploding, she sank beneath the waters. 

Of the whole fleet, then, only the Hartford and Alba- 
tross passed the batteries, but the Mississippi alone was 
destroyed ; the othei-s, though injured, were soon repaired, 
and subsequently rendered efficient service in the re- 
duction of the rebel stronghold. The Hartford and Al- 
batross blockaded for several weeks the mouth of Red 
River, from which supplies had been sent to Vicksburg ; 



2f)3 OUK GREAT CAPTAINS. 

and when Admiral Porter, in May, liaving run a part of 
his squadron past the Yicksburg batteries, relieved Ad- 
miral Farragut from this duty, he returned with his ves- 
sels to New Orleans by way of the Atchafalaya, and 
directed the naval operations against Port Hudson until 
its surrender. 

The admiral had long desired to attack the defences of 
Mobile, and thus effectually check the blockade-running 
which it was impossible wholly to prevent while that 
port was left unmolested. The three rebel forts, Morgan, 
Powell, and Gaines, strong works at the entrance of 
Mobile Bay, prevented the near approach of the vessels 
of the blockading squadron, and protected the blockade- 
runners in entering the bay. An attack on these forts 
had been several times projected, but as often delayed 
from one cause or another. It was not till the summer 
of 1864, that a combined attack of land and sea forces 
could be arranged. On the 8th of July, Rear-Admiral 
Farragut had an interview with Generals Canby and 
Granger, and urged the necessity of an immediate at- 
tack. General Canby promised his assistance, but was 
soon after compelled to retract his promise. On the 1st 
of August, General Granger again visited the admiral, 
and a definite arrangement was made for an attack on 
the 4th. Owing to unavoidable delay, however, the at- 
tack was not made till the morning of the 5th, though 
the troops were landed on Dauphin Island. 

The fleet which was to take part in the attack con- 
sisted of fourteen sloops of war and gunboats, and four 
iron-clad monitors. The admiral arranged them for the 
attack as follows : the Brooklyn and Octorara were 
lashed together, the Brooklyn being on the starboard 
side, nearest Fort Morgan — the Brooklyn being, much 
against the admiral's wishes, allowed the lead ; next, the 



VICi'>ADMIKAL FAERAGUT. 2(39 

Hartford and Metacomet, followed by the Richmond 
and Port Royal, the Lackawanna and Seminole, the 
Monongahela and Kennebec, the Ossipee and Itasca, and 
the Oneida and Galena. The four monitors were ar- 
ranged in the following order, to the right or starboard 
of the gunboats: the Tecumseh, Commander T. A. M. 
Craven, taking the lead, and followed by the Manhattan, 
Commander Nicholson, the Winnebago, Commander 
Stevens, and the Chickasaw, Lieutenant-Commander 
Perkins. 

The rebels, in addition to three forts all manned with 
large garrisons, had a squadron consisting of the iron- 
clad ram Tennessee, regarded by them as the most for- 
midable armed vessel ever constructed, and three pow- 
erful gunboats, the Selma, Morgan, and Gaines. 

The fleet steamed steadily up the channel, the Tecum- 
seh firing the first shot at 6.47 a. m. The rebels opened 
upon them from Fort Morgan at six minutes past seven, 
and the Brooklyn replied, after which the action became 
general. The Brooklyn now paused, and for good rea- 
son — the Tecumseh, near her, careened suddenly and 
sank almost instantly, having struck and exploded a 
torpedo; and her gallant commander and nearly all her 
crew sank with her. 

Directing the commander of the Metacomet to send a 
boat instantly to rescue her crew, Admiral Farragut de- 
termined to take the lead in his own flag- ship, the Hart- 
ford, and putting on all steam, led off" through a track 
Avhich had been lined with torpedoes by the rebels ; but 
he says, " Believing that from their having been some 
time in the water, they were probably innocuous, I de- 
termined to take the chance of their explosion." 

Turning to the northwestw^ard to clear the middle 
ground, the fleet were enabled to keep such a broadside 

23* 



270 OUR GRKAT CAPTAINS. 

fire on the batteries of Fort Morgan as to prevent them 
from doing much injury. After they had passed the fort, 
about ten minutes before eight o'clock, the ram Tennes- 
see dashed out at the Hartford ; but the admiral took no 
further notice of her than to return her fire. The rebel 
gunboats were ahead and annoyed the fleet by a raking 
fire, and the admiral detached his consort, the Meta- 
comet, ordering her commander, Lieutenant-Commander 
Jouett, to go in pursuit of the Selma, and the Octorara 
was detached to pursue one of the others. Lieutenant- 
Commander Jouett captured the Selma, but the other 
two escaped under the protection of the guns of Fort 
Morgan, though the Gaines was so much injured that 
she was run ashore and destroyed. The combat which 
followed between the Tennessee and tlie Union fleet, 
and resulted in the surrender of that formidable iron- 
clad vessel, is best described in the admiral's own 
words : 

" Having passed the forts and dispersed the enemy's 
gunboats, I had ordered most of the vessels to anchor, 
when I perceived the ram Tennessee standing up for this 
ship. This was at forty-five minutes past eight. I was 
not long in comprehending his intentions to be the de- 
struction of the flag-ship. The monitors and such of the 
wooden vessels as I thought best adapted for the purpose, 
were immediately ordered to attack the ram, not only 
with their guns, but bows on at full speed ; and then be- 
gan one of tlie fiercest naval combats on record. 

"The Monongahela, Commander Strong, was the first 
vessel that struck her, and in doing so, carried away his 
own iron prow, together with the cutwater, without ap- 
j)arently doing her adversary much injury. The Lacka- 
wanna, Captain Marchand, was the next vessel to strike 
her, which she did at full speed ; but though her stem 



VICE-ADMIEAL FAKRAGUT. 271 

was cut and crushed to the plank-ends for the distance of 
three feet above the water's edge to five feet below, the 
only perceptible effect on the ram was to give her a 
heavy list. 

" The Hartford was the third vessel that struck her; but, 
as the Tennessee quickly shifted her helm, the blow was 
a glancing one, and, as she rasped along our side, we 
poured our whole port broadside of nine-inch solid shot 
within ten feet of her casement. 

" The monitors worked slowly, but delivered their fire 
as opportunity ofiered. The Chickasaw succeeded in 
getting under her stern, and a fifteen-inch shot from the 
Manhattan broke through her iron plating and heavy 
wooden backing, though the missile itself did not enter 
the vessel. 

"Immediately after the collision with the flag-ship, I 
directed Captain Drayton to bear down for the ram 
again. He was doing so at full speed, when, unfortu- 
natel}^, the Lackawanna run into the Hartford just for- 
ward of the mizzen-mast, cutting her down to within two 
feet of the water's edge. We soon got clear again, how- 
ever, and were fast approaching our adversary, when she 
struck her colors and run up the white flag. 

" She was at this time sore beset ; the Chickasaw was 
pounding away at her stern, the Ossipee was approach- 
ing her at full speed, and the Monongahela, Lackawanna, 
and this ship were bearing down upon her, determined 
upon her destruction. Her smoke-stack had been shot 
away, her steering-cliains were gone, compelling a resort 
to her relieving-tackles, and several of her port shutters 
wei-e jammed. Indeed, from the time the Haitford 
struck her, until her surrender, she never fired a gun. 
As the Ossipee, Commander Le Roy, was about to strike 
her, she hoisted the white flag, and that vessel immedi- 



272 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS 

ately stopped her engine, though not in time to avoid a 
glancing blow. 

" During this contest with the rebel gunboats and the 
ram Tennessee, and which terminated by her surrender at 
10 o'clock, we lost many more men than from the fire oi' 
the batteries of Fort Morgan." 

The rebel Admiral Buchanan was severely wounded, 
and subsequently lost a leg by amputation. Admiral 
Farragut, as humane in his feelings towards a wounded 
foe as he was gallant and daring in action, immediately 
addressed a note to Brigadier-General Page, the com- 
mander of Fort Morgan, asking permission to send the 
rebel admiral and the other wounded rebel ofiicers by 
ship, under flag of truce, to the Union hospitals at Pensa- 
cola, where they could be tenderly cared for. This re- 
quest was granted, and the Metacomet dispatched with 
them. 

The admiral had stationed himself " in an elevated po- 
sition in the main rigging, near the top," a place of great 
peril, but one which enabled him to see much better than 
if he had been on deck, the progress of the battle ; and 
from thence he witnessed, and testified with great grati- 
fication to, the admirable conduct of the men at their 
guns, throughout the fleet ; and, in the connection, gives 
utterance to a sentiment which shows most conclusively 
his sympathy and tenderness: " Although," he says, " no 
doubt their hearts sickened, as mine did, when their ship- 
mates were struck down beside them, yet there was not 
a moment's hesitation to lay their comrades aside and 
spring again to their deadly work." 

It is said that at the moment of the collision between 
the Hartford and Lackawanna, when the men called to 
each other to save the admiral, Farragut, finding the 
ship would float at least long enough to serve his pur- 



VICE-ADMIKAL FAKUAGDT. 273 

pose, and thinking of that only, called out to bis fleet- 
captain, " Go on with speed ! Ram her again !" 

The results of this victory were the destruction of the 
rebel fleet ; the capture of the armored ship Tennessee, 
and of two hundred and thirty rebel officers and men ; 
the abandonment on the next day of Fort Powell, with 
eighteen guns ; the surrender on the 8th of Fort Gaines, 
with fifty-six officers, eight hundred and eighteen men, 
and twenty-six guns ; and on the 23d of August, after a 
further bombardment of twenty-four hours, of Fort 
Morgan, with sixty guns and six hundred prisoners. 
By these captures, the port of Mobile was hermeti- 
cally sealed against blockade-runners, and a serious 
blow given to the rebel cause. 

Rear- Admiral Farragut remained in command of the 
West Gulf squadroij till November, 1864, when he re- 
quested leave of absence, and was called to Washington 
for consultation in regard to future naval operations. 
Soon after the opening of Congress, a resolution of 
thanks was passed, to him, for his brilliant victory at 
Mobile, and the rank of vice-admiral, corresponding to 
that of lieutenant-general in the army, was created, and 
on the 1st of January, 1865, David Glascoe Farragut 
promoted to it. This appointment makes him the virtual 
chief commander of the naval forces of the United States. 

The West Gulf blockading squadron, during all the 
time Admiral Farragut was in command of it, had had 
more fighting and less prizes than any other blockading 
squadron on the coast ; and while Admirals Dupont, Lee, 
Porter, and Dahlgren had accumulated immense fortunes 
by their shares of prize-money, Admiral Farragut had 
received little beyond his regular pay. The merchants 
of New York, understanding this, and recognizing the 
great services he had rendered to commerce and to the 



274 . OUIi GREAT UAl'TAINS. 

nation, subscribed the sum of fifty thousand dollars, whicl 
was presented to him in U. S. 7.30 Treasury notes, in 
January, 1865, in testimony of their appreciation of h\i 
ability and success as a naval commander. 

We do not expect any praise, scarcely indeed common 
civility, in speaking of our generals or admirals, from that 
English journal which is so thorough an exponent of the 
prejudices and hostility of the English aristocracy tow- 
ards us, the " Army and Navy Gazette ;" yet that jour- 
nal has found itself compelled to speak of Admiral Far- 
ragut as "the doughty admiral whose feats of arms place 
him at the head of his profession, and certainly constitute 
him the first naval oificer of the day, as far as actual repu- 
tation won by skill, courage, and hard fighting goes." 

In the first week of April, 1865, Vice- Admiral Farra- 
gut visited Norfolk for the first time since he left it in 
1861, and was welcomed to the city by a committee of 
the Loyal League of that city, with an address, to which 
he replied as follows : 

" Mr. Chairman, Gentlemen of the Union League, 
Fellow-citizens, and my brother Officers op the 
Army and Navy : — I thank you for the kind remarks 
which you have been pleased to make, and I wish that I 
had the language to express myself as I have heard 
others very near me four years ago, in this place, when 
we had our best speakers standing forth for the Union, 
and striving with all their rhetoi-ic to persuade the peo- 
])le to desist from their unholy resolution, and cast their 
votes for the Union. This meeting recalls to rae the 
most momentous events of my life, when I listened in 
this place till the small hours of the morning, and re- 
tnrned home with the feeling that Virginia was safe and 
firm in her place in the Union. Our L^niou members to 



VICE-ADMIRAL FAR U A GUT. 275 

the convention were elected by an overwhelming ma- 
jority, and sent to Richmond, and we believed that 
every thing was right. Judge, then, my friends, of our 
astonishment in finding, a few days later, that tlie State 
had been voted out by a miserable minority, for the. 
vvant of firmness and resolution on the part of thosi' 
whom we trusted to represent us there, and that Vir- 
ginia had been dragooned out of the Union. What was 
the reason for this act ? The President's call for 
seventy-five thousand men ? Why, our arsenals, navy- 
yards, money in the mint at New Orleans had been 
seized, and Sumter bombarded. Was it then remark- 
able that the Government of the United States should 
call for troops to sustain itself? Would Jackson have 
submitted to this ? No ; for I recollect that I myself 
had the honor to be sent to South Carolina to support 
his mandate that the Union must and should be pre- 
served. I was told by a brother ofiicer that the State 
had seceded, and that I must either re-sign and turn 
traitor to the Government which had supported me from 
my childhood, or I must leave this place. Thank God ! 
I was not long in making my decision. I have spent 
half of ray life in revolutionary countries, and I know 
the horrors of civil war, and I told the people what I 
had seen, and what they would experience. They 
laughed at me, and called me ' granny' and ' croaker ;' 
and I said, ' I cannot live here, and will seek some other 
place where I can live, and on two hours' notice ;' and I 
suppose the conspirators said I left my country for my 
country's good, and thank God I did. I went from heix* 
with the few valuables I could hastily collect. I was 
unwilling to believe that this diflSculty would not have 
been settled ; but it was all in vain, and, as every man 
nmst do in a revolution as he puts his foot down, so it 



276 OUR GREAT CAPTAINS. 

marks his life ; so it has pleased God to protect me thus 
far, and make me somewhat instrumental in dealing- 
heavy blows at the rebellion. I have been nothing 
more than an instrument in the hands of God, well sup- 
ported by my officers and men, who have done their 
duty faithfully. I hope, my friends, that this day, with 
its events, may prove the culminating point of our revo- 
lution ; and I hope that before long all will be restored 
to that peace and reunion which has been sought by the 
Government and desired by everybody ; and then you, 
gentlemen, who have deserved so well of your country 
by your steady adherence to its Government, will receive 
the reward which fidelity, and honesty, and moral 
courage always deserve." 

Notwithstanding the hardships and exposures he has 
undergone in a life of which more than forty years have 
been spent afloat, the sixty-four years of the vice-admi- 
ral's life set lightly upon him, and his eye is as clear, his 
voice as hearty, his arm as vigorous, and his judgment 
as sound as when, a dozen years ago, he trod the quarter- 
deck of a man-of-war in foreign ports. Our brief sketch 
is altogether inadequate to represent as we desire the 
character of our naval hero ; but, in the words of a bril- 
liant writer in the " United States Service Magazine" 
for January, 1865, we may say: "When his biography 
comes to be written, the public, who now see only high 
courage and indomitable vigor, rewarded by great and 
Drilliant victories, will recognize the completeness and 
harmony of a character that has so far appeared to them 
only in profile. The stainless honor, the straightforward 
frankness, the vivacity of manner and conversation, the 
gentleness, the flow of good-humor, the cheerful, ever- 
buoyant spirit of the true man, — these will be added lo 



VICE-ADMIRAL FARRAGUT. 277 

the compk^te education, the thorough seamanship, the 
careful preparation, the devotion to duty, and lastly, the 
restless energy, the disdain of obstacles, the impatience 
of delay or hesitation, the disregard of danger, that stand 
forth in such prominence in the portrait, deeply engraven 
on the loyal American heart, of the Great Admiral." 

34 



APPENDIX, 



LIEUTENANT-GENERAL GRANT TO THE ARMIES. 

Wak DaPARTMENT, Adjutant-General's Office, 
Washington, D. C, June 2, 1865. 

[General Orders, No. 108.] 
Soldiers of thk, Armiks of the United States : 

By your patriotic devotion to your country in the hour of danger 
and alarm, your magnificent fighting, bravery, and endurance, you 
have maintained the supremacy of the Union and the Constitution, 
overthrown all armed opposition to the enforcement of the laws, 
and of the proclamations forever abolishing slavery — the cause and 
pretext of the rebellion — and opened the way to the rightful au- 
thorities to restore order and inaugurate peace on a permanent and 
enduring basis on every foot of American soil. Your marches, 
sieges, and battles, in distance, duration, resolution, and brilliancy 
of results, dim the lustre of the world's past military achievements, 
and will be the patriot's precedent in defence of liberty and right 
in all time to come. In obedience to your country's call, you left 
your homes and families and volunteered in its defence. Victory 
has crowned your valor, and secured the purpose of your patriotic 
hearts ; and with the gratitude of your countrymen and the highest 
honors a great and free nation can accord, you will soon be per- 
mitted to return to your homes and families, conscious of having 
discharged the highest duty of American citizens. To achieve these 
glorious triumphs and secure to yourselves, your fellow-country- 
men and posterity the blessings of free institutions, tens of thou- 
sands of your gallant comrades have fallen and sealed the priceless 
legacy with their lives. The graves of these a grateful nation be- 
dews with tears, honors their memories, and will ever cherish and 
support their stricken families. 

U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General. 



GENERAL SHERMAN'S REPORT. 

Headquarters Military Division of the Mississippi, 
In the Field, City Point, Va., May 9, 1865. 

General — My last official report brought the history of events, 
as connected with the armies in the field subject to my immediate 



280 APPENDIX. 

command, down to the 1st of April, when the Army of the Ohio, 
Major-General J. M, Schofield commanding, lay at Goldsboro', 
with detachments distributed so as to secure and cover our routes 
of communication and supply, back to the sea at Wilmington and 
Morehead City ; Major-General A. H. Terry, with the Tenth Corps, 
being at Faison's Depot ; the Army of the Tennessee, Major- 
General 0.0. Howard commanding, was encamped to the right and 
front of Goldsboro', and the Army of Georgia, Major-General H. 
W. Slocum commanding, to its left and front ; the cavalry, brevet 
Major-General J. Kilpatrick commanding, at Mount Olive. All 
were busy in repairing the wear and tear of our then recent and 
hard march from Savannah, and in replenishing clothing and stores 
necessary for a further progress. 

I had previously, by letter and in person, notified the lieutenant- 
general commanding the Armies of the United States, that the 
10th of April would be the earliest possible moment at which I 
could hope to have all things in readiness, and we were compelled 
to use our railroads to the very highest possible limit in order to 
fulfil that promise, owing to a mistake in the railroad department, 
in sending locomotives and cars of the five-foot guage, we were limit- 
ed to the use of the few locomotives and cars of the four-foot eight- 
and-a-half-inch gauge already in North Carolina, with such of the old 
stock as was captured by Major-General Terry at Wilmington, and 
on his way up to goldsboro'. Yet such judicious use was made of 
these, and such industry displayed in the railroad management, by 
Generals Easton and Beckwith, and Colonel Wright and Mr. Van 
Dyne, that by the 1 0th of April our men were all re-clad, the wagons 
re-loaded, and a fiiir amount of forage accumulated ahead. 

In the mean time, Major-General George Stoneman, in command 
of a division of cavalry operating from East Tennessee, in connec- 
tion with Major-General George H. Thomas, in pursuance of my 
orders of January 21, 1865, had reached the railroad about Greens- 
boro', North Carolina, and had made sad havoc with it, and had 
pushed along it to Salisbury, destroying en route bridges, culverts, 
depots, and all kinds of rebel supplies, and had extended the break 
in the railroad down to the Catawba Bridge. 

This was fatal to the hostile armies of Lee and Johnston, who de- 
pended on that road for supplies and as their ultimate line of retreat. 
Major-General J. H. Wilson, also in command of the cavalry corps 
organized by himself under Special Field Orders, No. — , of October 
24, 1864, at Gaylesville, Alabama, had started from the neigh- 
borhood of Decatur and Florence, Alabama, and moved straight 
into the heart of Alabama, on a route prescribed for General 
Thomas, after he had defeated General Hood at Nashville, Ten- 
nessee ; but the roads being too heavy for infantry. General Thomas 
had devolved that duty on that most energetic young cavalry offi- 
cer. General Wilson, who, imbued with the proper spirit, has struck 
one of the best blows of the war at the waning strength of the 
Confederacy. His route was one never before touched by our 
troops, and afiforded him abundance of supplies as long as he was 



APPENDIX. 281 

in motion, namely, by Tuscaloosa, Selma, Montgomery, Columbus, 
and Macon. Though in communication with him, I have not been 
able to receive as yet his full and detailed reports, which will in 
due time be published and appreciated. Lieutenant-General Grant, 
also in immediate command of the armies about Richmond, had 
taken the the initiative in that magnificent campaign which, in 
less than ten days, compelled the evacuation of Richmond, and re 
suited in the destruction and surrender of the entire rebel Army 
of Virginia, under command of General Lee. 

The news of the battles about Petersburg reached me at Golds- 
boro* on the 6th of April. Up to that time, my purpose was to 
move rapidly northward, feign on Raleigh, and striking straight 
for Burkesville, thereby interposing between Johnston and Lee. 
But the auspicious events in Virginia had changed the whole mili- 
tary problem, and, in the expressive language of Lieutenant-General 
Grant, "the Confederate armies of Lee and Johnston" became the 
"strategic points." General Grant was fully able to take care of 
the former, and my task was to capture or destroy the latter. 
Jolinston, at that time, April 6th, had his arn)y well in hand about 
Smithfield, interposing between me and Raleigh. I estimated his 
infantry and artillery at thirty-five thousand, and his cavalry from 
six to ten thousand. He was superior to me in cavalry, so that I 
held General Kilpatrick in reserve at Mount Olive, with orders to 
recruit his horses, and be ready to make a sudden and rapid march 
on the 10th of April. 

At daybreak of the day appointed, all the heads of columns were 
in motion straight against the enemy, Major-General H. W. ISlocum 
taking the two direct roads for Smithfield ; Major-General 0. 0. 
Howard making a circuit by the right, and feigning up the Weldon 
road to disconcert the enemy's cavalry ; Generals Terry and Kil- 
patrick moving on the west side of the Neuse River, and aiming to 
reach the rear of the enemy between Smithfield and Raleigh. 
General Schofield followed General Slocura in support. 

All the columns met, within six miles of Goldsboro', more or 
less cavalry, with the usual rail barricades, which were swept be- 
fore us as chafif, and by ten a.m. of the 11th, the Fourteenth Corps 
entered Smithfield, the Twentieth Corps close at hand. Johnston 
had rapidly retreated across the Neuse River, and, having his 
railroad to lighten up his trains, could retreat faster than we could 
pursue. The rains had also set in, making the resort to corduroy 
absolutely necessary to pass even ambulances. The enemy had 
burned the bridge at Smithfield, and as soon as possible, Major- 
General Slocum got up his pontoons and crossed over a division of 
the Fourteenth Corps. We there heard of the surrender of Lee's 
army at Appomattox Court-house, Virginia, which was announced 
to the armies in orders, and created universal joy. Not an officer 
or soldier of my armies but expressed a pride and satisfaction that 
it fell to the lot of the armies of the Potomac and James so glo- 
riously to overwhelm and capture the entire army that had held 
them so long in check, and their success gave new impulse to finish 

34* 



282 ' APPENDIX. 

lip our task. Without a moment's hesitation we dropped onr trains 
and niiirched rapidly in pursuit to, and through Raleigh, reaching 
that place at half-past seven a. M. of the 13th, in a heavy rain. 
The next day the cavalry pushed on through the rain to Durham's 
Station, the Fifteenth Corps following as far as Morrisville Station, 
and tlie Seventeenth Corps to Jones' Station. On the supposition 
that Johnston was tied to his railroad as a line of retreat, by Hills- 
horo', Greensboro', Salisbury, Charlotte, etc., I had turned the 
other colums across the bend of that road towards Ashboro'. (See 
Special Field Orders, No. 55.) The cavalry, brevet Major-General 
J. Kiipatrick commanding, was ordered to keep up a show of 
pursuit towards the "Company's shops" in Alamance county; 
Major-General 0. O. Howard to turn to the left hy Hackney's 
Cross-Roads. Pittsboro', St. Lawrence, and Ashboro' ; Mnjor- 
General H. W. Slocum, to cross Cape Fear River at Aven's Ferry, 
and move rapidly by Carthage, Caledonia, and Cox's Mills ; Major- 
General J. M. Schotield was to hold Raleigh, and the road back, 
and with his spare fm-ce to follow an intermediate route. 

By the 15th, though the rains were incessant and the roads almost 
impracticable, Major-General Slocum had the Fourteenth Corps, 
brevet Major-General Davis commanding, near Martha's Vineyard, 
with a pontoon bridge laid across Cape Fear River at Aven's Ferry, 
with the Twentieth Corps, Mnjor-General Mower commanding, in 
support ; and Major-General Howard had the Fifteenth and Seven- 
teenth corps stretched out on the I'oads towards Piitsboio', while 
General Kiipatrick held Durham's Station and Chapel Hill University. 

Johnston's army was retreating rapidly on the roads from Hills- 
boro' to Greensboro', he himself at Greensboro'. Although out of 
place as to time, I here invite all militaiy critics, who study the 
problems of war, to take their maps and ci>m[)are the position ol 
my army, on the 15th and 16th of April, with that of General 
Halleck, about Burkesville and Petersburg, Virginia, on the 2nth 
of April, when, according to his telegram to Secietary Stanton, he 
offered to relieve me of tlie task of '■ cutting off Johnston's retieat." 
Major General Stoneman at the time was at Statesville, and Johns- 
ton's oidy line of retreat was by Salisbury and Charlotte. It may 
be that General Halleck's troops can outmaich mine, but there is 
nothing in their past history to show it, or it may be that General 
Halleck can inspire his troops with more energy of action. I doubt 
that also, save and except in this single instance, when he knew 
the enemy was ready to surrender or disperse, as ail vised by my 
letter of April 18, addressed to him when chief of staff at Washing- 
ton City, and delivered at Washington, on the 21st instant, by 
Major Hitchcock, of my staff. 

'J'hus matters stood at the time I received General Johnston's first 
letter, and made my answer of April 14th, copies of which were 
sent with all expedition to Lieutenant General Grant and the 
secretary of war, with my letter of April 15th. I agreed to meet 
General Johnston in person, at a point intermediate between our 
pickets, on the 17th, at noon, provided the position of the troops 



APPENDIX. 



283 



remained in statu quo. T was both willing and anxious thus to con- 
sume a few days, as it would enable Colonel Wright to finish our 
railroad to Raleigh. 

Two bridges had to be built, and twelve miles of new road made. 
We bad no iron except by taking up that on the branch from Golds- 
boro' to Weldon. Instead of losing by time, I gained in every 
Avay, for every hour of delay possible was reqtiired to reconstruct 
the railroad to our rear, and improve the condition of our wagon- 
roads to the front, so desirable in case the negotiations failed, and 
we be forced to make the race of near two hundred miles, to head 
off or catch Johnston's army, then retreating towards Cbarlotte. 

At noon of the day appointed, I met General Johnston for the 
first time in my life, although we had been interchanging shots 
constantly since May, 1863. 

Our interview was frank and soldier-like, and he gave me to un- 
derstand that further war on the part of the Confederate troops was 
folly, that the cause was lost, and that every life sacrificed after the 
surrender of Lee's army was ''the highest possible crime." He 
admitted that the term's conceded to General Lee were magnani- 
mous, and all he could ask. but he did want some general conces- 
sions that would enable him to allay the natural fears and anxieties 
of his followers, and enable him to maintain his control over them, 
until they could be got back to the neighborhood of their homes, 
theieby saving the State of North Carolina the devastations inevi- 
tably to result from turning his men loose and unprovided on the 
spot, and our pursuit across the State. 

He also wanted to embrace in the same general proposition the 
fate of all the Confederate armies that remained in existence. I 
never made any concession as to his own army, or assumed to deal 
finally and authoritatively in regard to any other, but it did seem 
to me that there was presented a chance for peace that might he 
deemed valuable to the Government of the United States, and was 
at least worth the few days that would be consumed in reference. 

To push an armv whose commander had so frankly and honestly 
confessed his inability to cope with me, were cowardly, and un- 
worthy the brave men I led. 

Inasmuch as General Johnston did not feel authorized to pledge 
his power over the armies in Texas, we adjourned to meet the next 
day at noon. I returned to Raleigh and conferred freely with all 
my general officers, every one of whom urged me to complete terms 
that might accomplish so complete and desirable an end. AH 
dreaded "the weary and laborious march after a fugitive and dis- 
solving army back towards Georgia, almost over the very country 
where we had toiled so long. There was but one opinion expressed, 
and if contrary ones were entertained, they were withheld, or in- 
dulged in only by that class who shun the fight and the march, but 
are loudest, bravest, and fiercest when danger is past. I again met 
General Johnston on the 18th. and we renewed the conversation. 
He satisfied me then of his power to disband the rebel armies in 
Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, as well as those in his 



284 APPENDIX. 

immediate command, namely, North Carolina, South Carolina, 
Florida, and Georgia. 

The points on which he expressed especial solicitude were, lest 
their States were to he dismembered and denied representation in 
Congress, or any separate political existence whatever, and that 
the absolute disarming his men would leave the South powerless, and 
exposed to depredations by wicked bands of assassins and robbers. 

President Lincoln's message of 1864 ; his amnesty proclamation ; 
General Grant's terms to General Lee, substantially extending the 
benefits of that proclamation to all officers above the rank of 
colonel ; the invitation to the Virginia Legislature to reassemble 
in Richmond, by General Weitzel, with the approval of Mr. Lin- 
coln and General Grant, then on the spot ; a firm belief that I had 
been fighting to re-establish the Constitution of the United States ; 
and last, and not least, the general and universal desire to close a 
war any longer without organized resistance, were the leading facts 
that induced me to pen the " memorandum" of ApriMSth, signed 
by myself and General Johnston. 

It was designed to be, and so expressed on its face, as a xn-ere 
"basis" for reference to the President of the United States and 
constitutional commander-in chief, to enable him, if he chose, at 
one blow to dissipate the military power of the Confederacy which 
had threatened the national safety for years. It admitted of modi- 
fication, alteration, and change. It had no appearance of an ulti- 
matinn, and by no false reasoning can it be construed into a usurp- 
ation of power on my part. I have my opinions on the questions 
involved, and will stand by the memorandum : but this forms no 
part of a military report. Immediately on my return to Raleigh I 
dispatched one of my staff, Major Hitchcock, to Washington, en- 
joining him to be most prudent and careful to avoid the spies and 
informers that would be sure to infest him by the way, and to say 
nothing to anybody until the President could make known to me 
his wishes and policy in the matter. 

The news of President Lincoln's assassination on the 14th of 
April (wrongly leported to me by telegraph as having occurred on 
the 11th) reached me on the 17th, and was announced to my com- 
mand on the same day in Special Field Orders, No. 56. I was duly 
impressed with its horrible atrocity and probable eifect upon the 
country, but when the property and interests of millions still living 
were involved, I saw no good reason to change my course, but 
thought rather to manifest real respect for his memory by following, 
after his death, that policy which, if living, I feel certain he would 
have approved, or at least not rejected with disdain. Up to that 
hour I had never received one word of instruction, advice, or coun- 
sel as to the "plan or policy" of Government, looking to a restoi-a- 
tion of peace on the part of the rebel States of the South. When- 
ever asked for an opinion on the points involved, I had always 
evaded the subject. My letter to the Mayor of Atlanta has been 
published to the world, and 1 was not rebuked by the War Depart- 
ment for it. 



ArpEKDix. 285 

My letter to Mr. N W , at Savannah, was shown by me 

to Mr. Stanton before its publication, and all that my memory re- 
tains of his answer is, that he said, like my letters generally, it was 
sutficieutly "emphatic, and could not be misunderstood." 

Both these letters asserted my belief that, according to Mr. Lin- 
coln's proclamations and messages, when the people of the South 
had laid down their arms, and submitted to the lawful power of the 
United States, ipso facto the war was over as to them ; and further- 
more, that if any State in rebellion would conform to the Constitu- 
tion of the United States, "cease war," elect senators and repre- 
sentatives toCongrees, if admitted (of which each House of Congress 
alone is the judge), that State became instanter as much in the Union 
as New York or Ohio. Nur was I rebuked for this expression, 
though it was universally known and commented on at the time. 
And again, Mr. Stanton in person, at Savannah, speaking of the 
territic expenses of the war, and diliiculty of realizing the money 
necessary for the daily wants of the Government, impressed me most 
forcibly with the necessity of bringing the war to a close as soon as 
possible fov Jinancial reaaons. 

On the evening of April 23d, Major Hitchcock reported his return 
to Morehead City witii dispatches, of which fact General Johnston, 
at HiUsboro', was notiiied, so as to be ready in the morning for an 
answer. At 6 o'clock a. m. on the 24th, Major Hitchcock arrived, 
accompanied by General Grant and members of his staff, who had 
not telegraphed the fact of his coming over our exposed road for 
prudential reasons. 

I soon learned that the memorandum was disapproved, without 
reasons assigned, and I was oidered to give the forty-eight hours' 
notice, and resume hostilities at the close of that time, governing 
myself by the substance of a dispatch then inclosed, dated March 
8d, twelve noon, at Washington. District of Columbia, from Secre- 
tary Stanton to General Giant, at City Point, but not accompanied 
by any part of the voluminous matter so liberally lavished on the 
public in tlie Mew York journals of the 24th of April. That was 
t\ie first and only time I ever saw that telegram, or had one word of 
instruction on the important matter involved in it ; and it does 
seem strange to me that every bar-room loafer in New Y^ork can 
read in the morning journals "official" matter that is withheld 
from a General whose command extends from Kentucky to North 
CaroliJia. 

Within an hour a courier was riding from Durham's Station to- 
wards Hillsboro' with notice to General Johnston of the suspension 
of the truce, and renewing my demand for the surrender of the 
armies under his immediate command (see two letters, April 24th, 
6 A. M ), and at 12 m. I had the receipt of his picket officer. I 
therefore published my Orders, No. 62, to the troops, terminating 
the truce at 12 M. on the 26th, and ordered all to be in readiness to 
march at that hour on the routes prescribed in Special Field Order, 
No. 55, April 14th, from the positions held April 18th. 

General Grant had orders from the President, through the Secre- 



28G APPENDIX. 

tary of War, to direct military movements, and I explained to him 
tiie exact position of the troops, and he approved of it most em- 
phatically ; but he did not relieve me, or expresss a wish to assume 
coMiinand. All things were in readiness, when, on the evening of 
the 26th, I received another letter from General Johnston asking 
another interview to renew negotiations. 

General Grant not oidy approved, but urged me to accept, and I 
appointed a meeting at our former place at noon of the 26th, the 
veiy hcjur tixed for the renewal of hostilities. General Johnston 
was delayed by an accident to his train, but at 2 p. m. arrived. We 
then consulted, concluded and signed the final terms of capitula- 
tion. 

Those were taken by me back to Raleigh, submitted to General 
Grant, and met his immediate approval and signature. General 
Johnstcni was not even aware of the presence of General Grant at 
Raleigh at the time. 

'i'hus was surrendered to us the second great army of the so- 
called Coniederacy, and though undue importance has been given 
to the so-called negotiations which preceded it, and a rebuke and 
public disfavor cast on me wholly unwarranted by the facts, I re- 
joice in saying it was accomplished witliout further ruin and de- 
vastation to the country, without the loss of a single life to those 
gallant men who had followed me from the Mississip[)i to the 
Atlantic, and without subjecting brave men to the ungracious 
task of i)ursuing a fleeing foe thai did not want to fight. As for 
my>elf. I know my motives, and challenge the instance during the 
past four years where an armed and defiant foe stood before me 
that I did not go iii for a fight. ;ind I woukl blush for shame if I 
had ever insulted or struck a fallen foe. 1'be instant the terms of 
surrender were approved by General Grant, I made my Orders, 
No. 60, assigning to each of my subordinate commanders his share 
of the work, and, with General Grant's approval, made Special 
Field Orders, ISIo. 66, putting in motion my old army (no longer 
required in Carolina) northward for Richmond. General Giant 
left Raleigh at 9 a. m of the 27th, and I glory in the fact that 
during his three days' stay with nie, I did not detect in his 
language or manner one particle of abatement in the confi'lence. 
respect, and affection that have existed between us throughout all 
the varied events of the past war, and though we have honestly 
ditfered in opinion in other cases, as well as this, still we respected 
each other's honest ccuvictions. 

I still adhere to my then opinions, that by a few general con- 
cession.s, " glittering generalities," all of which in the end must 
and will be concedeil to the organized States of the South, that 
this day there would not be an armed battalion opposed to U£ 
within the broad area of the dominions of the United States. 
Robbers and assassins must in any event result from the disband- 
ment of large armies, but even these should be and could be taken 
caie of by the local civil authorities, without being made a charge 
on the national treasury. 



APPENDIX. 



287 



On the evening of the 28th, having conchided all business re- 
quiring my personal attention at Raleigh, and having conferred 
with every army commander and delt^gated to him the authority 
necessary for his future action, I dispatched my headquarters 
wagons by land along with tlie Seventeenth Corns, the office in 
charge of General Webster, from Newbern to Alexandria, Virginia, 
by sea, and in person, accompanied only by my personal staff, 
hastened to Savannah to direct matters in the interior of South 
Carolina and Georgia. I had received across the rebel telegraph 
wires cipher dispatches from General Wilson at Macon, to the effect 
that he was in receipt of my Orders. No. 65, and would send Gen- 
eral Uptons division to Augusta, and General McCooks division 
to Tallahassee to receive the surrender of those garrisons, take 
charge of the public property, and execute the paroles required by 
the terms of surrender. He reported a sufficiency of forage for his 
horses iu Southwest Georgia, but asked me to send him a supply 
of clothit)g. sugar, coffee, &c., by way of Augusta. Georgia, whence 
he could get it by rail. 1 therefore went ra[)idly to Goldsboro' 
and Wilmington, reacning the latter city at 10 a. m. of the 29th, 
and the same day embarke<l for Hilton Head in the block;ide-run- 
ner Russia. Captain A. M. Smith. 1 found Geneial Q A. Gillmore, 
C(unmanding Department of the South, at Hilton Head on the 
evening of April 30th. and ordered him to send to Augusta at once 
what crothing and small stores he could spare for General Wilson, 
and to open up a line of certain communication and supply with 
him at Macon. Within an hour the captured steamboats Jeff. 
Davis and Amazon, both adapted to the shallow and crooked navi- 
gation of th(; Savannah river, were being loaded, the one at 
Savannah and the other at Hilton Head. The former started up 
the river on the 1st of May, in charge of a very intelligent officer 
(whose name i cannot recall) and forty-eight men, ail the boat 
could carry, with orders to occupy temporaiily the United States 
Arsenal at Augusta, and open up communicaticm with General 
Wilson at ?ilaon. in the event that General McCook's division of 
cavalry was moI .".lieady there. The Amazon followed next day, 
and General Gilimoie luid made the necessary orders for a brigade 
of infantry, to be commanded by General Molyneux, to follow by 
a land ma'rch to Augusta as its permanent garrison. Another 
brig.vde of infantry was ordered to occupy Orangeburg, South 
Carolina, the point furthest in the interior that can at present be 
reached i)y rail from the seacoast (Charleston). 

On the 1st of May 1 went on to Savannah, where General Gill- 
more aUo joined me, and the arrangements ordered for the occupa- 
tion of Augusta were consummated. 

At Savannah, I found the city in the most admirable police, 
under direction of brevet Major- General Grover, and the citizens 
manifested the most unqualified joy to bear that, so far as they 
were concerned, the war was over. All classes, Union men as well 
as former rebels, did not conceal, however, tlie apprehensions 
naturally arising from a total ignorance of the political conditions 



2SS APPENDIX. 

to be attached to their future state. Any thing at all would bd 
preferable to this dread uncertainty. 

On the evening of the 2d of May I returned to Hilton Head, and 
there, for the first time, received the New York papers of April 
28th, containing- Secretary Stanton's dispatch of 9 a. m. of the 27th 
of April to General Dix, including General Halleck's, from Rich- 
mond, of 9 p. M. of the night before, which seems to have been 
rushed with extreme haste before an excited public, namely, morn- 
ing of the 28th. You will observe from the dates that these dis- 
patches were running back and forth from Richmond and Washing- 
ton to New York, and there published, while General Grant and I 
were together in Raleigh. North Carolina, adjusting, to the best 
of our ability, the terms of surrender of the only remaining for- 
midable rebel army in existence at the time east of the Mississippi 
river Not one word of intimation had been sent to me of the dis- 
pleasure of the Government with my official conduct, but only the 
naked disapproval of a skeleton memorandum sent properly for the 
action of the President of the United States. 

i he most objectionable features of my memorandum had already 
(April 24th) been published to the woild in violation of official 
usage, and the contents of my accompanying letters to General 
Hal leek, General Grant, and Mr. Stanton, of even date, though at 
hand, were suppressed. 

In all these letters I had stated clearly and distinctly that John- 
ston's army would not ^ght, but if pushed would "disband" and 
"scatter" into small and dangerous guerrilla parties, as injurious 
to the interests of the United States as to the rebels themselves ; 
that all parties admitted that the rebel cause of the South was 
abandoned ; that the negio was free, and that the temper of all 
was most favorable to a lasting peace. I say all these opinions of 
mine were witldield from the public with a seeming purpose ; and 
I do contend that my official experience and former services, as well 
as my past life and familiarity with the people and geography of 
the South, entitled my opinions to at least a decent respect. 

Although this dispatch (Mr. Stanton's, of April 27th) was printed 
"official," it had come to me only in'the questionable newspaper 
paragraph headed "Sherman's truce disregarded." 

I had already done what General Wilson wanted me to do, 
namely, had sent him supplies of clothing and food, with clear and 
distinct orders and instructions how to carry out in Western 
Georgia the terms for the surrender of arms and paroling of prison- 
ers made by General Johnston's capitulation of April 26th, and had 
properly and most opportunely ordered General Gillmore to occupy 
Orangeburg and Augusta, strategic points of great value at all 
times, in peace or war ; but as the Secretary had taken upon him- 
self to order my subordinate generals to disobey my "orders," 1 
explained to General Gillmore that I would no longer confuse him 
or General Wilson with " orders" that might conflict with those o/ 
the Secretary, which, as reported, were sent, not through me, but 
in open disregard of me and of my lawful authority. 



APPENDIX* 289 

It now becomes my dnty to paint, in justly severe character, the 
still more offensive and dangerous matter of General Halleck's 
dispatch of April 26th, to the Secretary of War, embodied in his to 
Oeneral Dix, of April 27th. 

General Halleck had been Chief of Stafif of the Army at Washing- 
ton, in which capacity he must have received my official letter of 
April 18th, wherein I wrote clearly that if Johnston's army about 
•Greensboro' were "pushed" it would "disperse," an event I 
wished to prevent. About that time he seems to have been ^ent 
from Washington to Richmond to command the new Military Di- 
vision of the James, in assuming charge of which, on the 22d, he de- 
fines the limits of his authority to be the " Department of Virginia, 
the Army of the Potomac, and such part of North Carolina as may 
■not he occupied by the command of 3Iaj or -General Sherman." (See his 
Oeneral Orders, No. 1.) Four days later, April 26th, he reports to 
the Secretary that he has ordered Generals Meade, Sheridan, and 
Wright to invade that part of North Carolina which was occupied 
i)y my command, and pay "no regard to any truce or orders of 
mine." They were ordered to ^^ push forward, regardless of any 
orders save those of Lieutenant-General Grant, and cut off John- 
ston's retreat." He knew at the time he penned that dis- 
patch and made those orders, that Johnston was not retreating, but 
was halted under a forty-eight hours' truce with me, and was 
laboring to surrender his command and prevent its dispersion into 
guerrilla bands, and that I had on the spot a magnificent army at 
my command, amply sufficient for all purposes required by the 
occasion. 

The plan for cutting off a retreat from the direction of Burkes- 
ville and Danville is hardly worthy one of his military education 
and genius. When he contemplated an act so questionable as the 
violation of a "truce" made by competent authority within his 
sphere of command, he should have gone himself and not have sent 
subordinates, for he knew I was bound in honor to defend and main- 
tain my own truce and pledge of faith, even at the cost of many 
lives. 

When an officer pledges the faith of his Government, he is bound 
to defend it, and he is no soldier who would violate it knowingly. 

As to Davis and his stolen treasure, did General Halleck, as Chief 
of Staff, or commanding officer of the neighboring military division, 
notify me of the facts contained in his dispatch to the Secretary ? 
No, he did not. If the Secretary of War wanted Davis caught, why 
not order it, instead of, by publishing in the newspapers, putting 
him on his guard to hide away and escape ? No orders or instruc- 
tions to catch Davis or his stolen treasure ever came to me ; but, 
on the contrary, I was led to believe that the Secretary of War 
rather preferred he should effect an escape from the country, if 
made "unknown" to him. But even on this point I inclose a 
copy of my letter to Admiral Dahlgren, at Charleston, sent him by 
a fleet steamer from Wilmington on the 25th of April, two days 
before the bankers of Richmond had imparted to General Halleck 

35 



290 APPENDIX. 

the important secret as to Davis's movenients, designed doubtless' 
to stimulate his troops to march their legs off to catch their treas- 
ure for their own use. 

I know now that Admiral Dahlgren did receive my letter on the 
26th, and had acted on it before General Halleck had even thought of 
the matter ; but I don't believe a word of the treasure story, it is 
absurd on its face, and General Halleck or anybody has my full 
permission to chase Jeff. Davis and cabinet, with their stolen treas- 
ure, through any part of the country occupied by my command. 

The last and most obnoxious feature of General Halleck's dis- 
patch is wherein he goes out of his way and advises that my sub- 
ordinates, Generals Thomas, Stoneman, and Wilson, should be in- 
structed not to obey " Sherman's" commam^s. 

This is too much, and I turn from the subject with feelings too 
strong for words, and merely record my belief that so much mis- 
chief was never before embraced in so small a space as in the news- 
paper paragraph headed •'■ Sherman's truce disregarded," authenti- 
cated as " official" by Mr. Secretary Stanton, and published in the 
New York papers of April 28th. 

During the night of May 2d, at Hilton Head, having concluded 
my business in the Department of the South, I began my return to 
meet my troops then marching towards Richmond from Raleigh. 
On the morning of the 3d we ran into Charleston Harbor, where I 
had the pleasure to meet Admiral Dahlgren, who had, in all my 
previous operations from Savannah northward, aided me with a 
courtesy and manliness that commanded my entire respect and 
deep affection ; also General Hatch, who, from our first interview 
at his Tullafinnay camp had caught the spirit of the move from 
Pocotaligo northward, and had largely contributed to our joint 
success in taking Charleston and the Carolina coast. Any one who 
is not satisfied with war should go and see Charleston, and he will 
pray louder and deeper than ever that the country may in the long 
future be spared any more war. Charleston and secession being 
synonymous terms, the city should be left as a sample, so that 
centuries may pass away before that false doctrine is again preached 
in our Union. 

We left Charleston on the evening of the 3d of May, and hastened 
with all possible speed back to Morehead City, which we reached 
at night of the 4th. I immediately communicated by telegraph 
with General Schofield at Raleigh, and learned from him the pleas- 
ing fact that the lieutenant-general commanding the armies of the 
United States had reached the Chesapeake in time to countermand 
General Halleck's orders, and prevent his violating my truce, in- 
vading the area of my command, and driving Johnston's surrender- 
ing army into fragments. General Johnston had fulfilled his 
agreement to the very best of his ability ; and the officers charged 
with issuing the paroles at Greensboro' reported about thirty thou- 
sand (30,000) already made, and that the greater part of the North 
Carolina troops had gone home without waiting for their papers, 
but that all of them would doubtless come in to some one of the 



AFPENDIX. 291 

military posts, the commanders of which are anthorized to grant 
them. About eight hundred (800) of the rebel cavalry had gone 
south, refusing to abide the terms of the surrender, and it was 
supposed they would make for Mexico. I would sincerely advise 
that they be encouraged to go and stay ; they would be a nuisance 
to any civilized government, whether loose or in prison. 

With the exception of some plundering on the part of Lee's and 
Johnston's disbanded men, all else in North Carolina was " quiet." 
When to the number of men surrendered at Greensboro' are added 
those at Tallahassee, Augusta,- and Macon, with the scattered 
squads who will come in at other military posts, T have no doubt 
fifty thousand (50,000) armed men will be disarmed and restored 
to civil pursuits by the capitulation made near Durham's Station, 
North Carolina, on the 26th of April, and that, too, without the 
loss of a single life to us. 

On the 5th of May I received and here subjoin a further dispatch 
from General Schotield, which contains inquiries I have been un- 
able to satisfy, similar to those made by nearly every officer in my 
command whose duty brings him in contact with citizens. I 
leave you to do what you think expedient to provide the military 
remedy. 

By Telegraph from Raleigh, N. C, 3Iay 5, 1865, to Major-General W. T. 
Sherman, 3forehead City. 

" When General Grant was here, as you doubtless recollect, he 
said the lines had been extended to embrace this and other States 
south. The order, it seems, has been modified so as to include 
only Virginia and Tennessee. I think it would be an act of wis- 
dom to open this State to trade at once, I hope the Government 
will make known its policy as the organ of State governments 
without delay. Affairs must be necessarily in a very unsettled 
state until that is done ; the people are now in a mood to accept 
almost any thing which promises a definite settlement. 

" What is to be done with the freedmen, is the question of all, 
and is the all- important question. It requires prompt and wise 
action to prevent the negro from becoming a huge elephant on 
our hands. If I am to govern this State, it is important for me to 
know it at once. If another is to be sent here it cannot be done 
too soon, for he will probably undo the most that I shall have 
done. I shall be glad to hear from you freely when you have time 
to write. 

" I will send your message to Wilson at once. 

"J. M. SCHOFIELD, 

*' Major-General." 

I give this dispatch entire, to demonstrate how intermingled 
have become civil matters with the military, and how almost im- 
possible it has become for an officer in authority to act a purely 
military part. 

There are no longer armed enemies in North Carolina, and a 



292 APPENDIX. 

soldier can deal with no other sort. The marshals and sheriffs 
with their posses (of which the military may become a part) are the 
only proper officers to deal with civil criminals and marauders. 
But I will not be drawn out in a discussion of this subject, but in- 
stance the case to show how difficult is the task become to military 
officers, when men of the rank, education, experience, nerve, and 
good sense of General Schofield feel embarrassed by them. 

General Schofield, at Raleigh, has a well-appointed and well- 
disciplined command, is in telegraphic communication with the 
controlling parts of his department, and remote ones in the direc- 
tion of Georgia, as well as with Washington, and has military 
possession of all strategic points. 

In like manner General Gillmore is well situated in all respects, 
except as to rapid communication with the seat of the General 
Government. 1 leave him also with every man he ever asked for, 
and in full and quiet possession of every strategic point in his de- 
partment ; and General Wilson has in the very heart of Georgia 
the strongest, best-appointed, and best-equipped cavalry corps that 
ever fell under my command, and he has now, by my recent ac- 
tion, opened to him a source of route and supply by way of Savan- 
nah Eiver that simplifies his military problem, so that I think I 
may with a clear conscience leave them, and turn my attention 
once more to my special command, the army with which I have 
been associated through some of the most eventful scenes of this 
or any war. 

I hope and believe none of these commanders will ever have 
reason to reproach me for any "orders" they may have received 
from me, and the President of the United States may be assured 
that all of them are in position, ready and willing to execute to 
the letter and in spirit any orders he may give. I shall hence- 
forth cease to give them any orders at all, for the occasion that 
made them subordinate to me is past, and I shall confine my at- 
tention to the army composed of the Fifteenth and Seventeenth, 
the Fourteenth and Twentieth corps, unless the commanding 
general of the Armies of the United States orders otherwise. 

At four p. M. of May 9th, I reached Manchester on the James 
River, opposite Richmond, and found that all the four corps had 
arrived from Raleigh, and were engaged in replenishing their 
wagons for the resumption of the march towards Alexandria. 
I have the honor to be your obedient servant, 

W. T. SHERMAN, 

Major-General commanding- 

General John A. Eawlings, Chief of Staff, Washington, D. C. 



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